The Changewing Goes Berserk
by crazyguy408
Summary: Sequel to "The Untrainable Dragon". A new trainer comes to the academy as a familiar family moves onto the island of Berk. Meanwhile, Dagur believes he's found the tool he needs to conquer Berk.
1. Another Day on Berk

"Alright guys, just like we practiced!" The moment after I said that, the Gronckle, Zippleback, Nadder Head, Monstrous Nightmare and their riders levitated off the stone floor of the arena and began to fly in a V formation, circling the entire room. "Now!" I heard Astrid cry from her dragon, pointing to the two Outcast dummies standing in the middle of the room.

The twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and their dragon(s) flew to the middle over the dummies and the right head, know as Barf, spewed it's gas over the two dummies. The Zippleback circled around again and this time, Belch ignited the gas with a spark from its mouth, sending a mighty _crack _through the arena and launching the dummies vertically in the air.

Astrid and Stormfly, eyeing the airborne targets sent a volley of spikes to them. Five hit one of them in the chest while four hit the other in the head and they fell to the ground. They landed on their backs and rolled around on the floor until Fishlegs and Meatlug flew up and sent a lava blast to the center of them. The impact sent the two of them flying in separate directions.

One of them landed directly at the claws of Snotlout's Monstrous Nightmare, Hookfang. The threatening beast drove its claw into the hay-stuffed dummy and flung it across the floor. The dragon then pounced to the other side of the room where the other dummy was waiting to be stabbed and violently torn apart.

As the massive dragon continued its feast, I rested my hands on my hips and looked around the arena impressed. "Well done guys. You stayed in formation, you played your parts correctly, and only one dummy is completely destroyed this time. I'm impressed." Astrid, who had hopped off of Stormfly and walked up next to me, gave me a smile. "Thanks Teach. What's next on the agenda?"

I looked down to my clipboard to see the plan. Today, I mainly wanted to focus on precision, and teamwork. That's why I set up this training session so I could work on both of them at once. I'm really glad we still had some dummies left over for the targets. They are dressed to look like Outcast soldiers, even though we haven't heard from them since I watched Alvin become a chew toy, but I keep the dummies dressed like this because I like to imagine we are actually keeping him in custody. It's a good thought.

So let's see, what is next to do? I mumbled to myself as I read the checked off items on the list of things to do. "Ok…. Taming…. Uh… Aiming…. Clean up after Ruff and Tuff…. Looks like we're done for today," I announced. The other Vikings let out a whoop of joy, hopped on their dragons and flew out the open door. Except for Astrid. She always stayed behind to help me lock up once training was over. I don't need her help, but I always appreciated her lending a hand.

We cleaned up the hay that was sprayed across the floor from the dummies and stored the two of them in one of the gates where we used to keep the dragons we would fight. We closed the gate, looked around to be sure nothing else is needed to be done, nodded our heads in approval and walked to our dragons.

The only Night fury on the island was playing with Stormfly. He was pushing his paws against the body of Stormfly in an attempt to get her riled up. The two of them pounced and jumped on each other playfully and gnawed on each other's wings. Astrid and I laughed as we separated the two. "C'mon Stormfly, it's time for dinner! Don't you want the chicken?" She asked in a playful voice. "Is that what you want?" The Nadder squawked in excitement and began to bounce a little on its light feet. "Well let's go get some!" Astrid mounted on her dragon, waved at me and flew out the door, leaving me with my best friend.

I looked over at Toothless, the greatest friend anyone could ever have and gave him a smile. "What do you say bud? You ready to go home?" He nodded his head and let out a little purr. I scratched his snout and walked over to grab his saddle. I strapped it on, climbed on top, put my prosthetic foot in the controlling mechanism and aimed my dragon to the door.

"Let's go bud." He bolted to the door, flapped his mighty wings and took flight.

Flying.

No other feeling in this world can compare to what I feel when I am soaring along with the wind, allowing it to rustle up my hair and whistle past my ears. Being able to see every square inch of the island. Being able to pretend that there is no wrong in the world, and just allow yourself to get wrapped up in the feeling of perfect harmony.

Yeah.

It's a good Feeling.

Sadly, often times it is a short-lived feeling. My house was in view and we started to descend. Toothless landed on the dirt softly and let out a grunt, signifying that we've reached our destination. "Great job bud. Tomorrow, we'll go for a longer ride." Toothless jumped with glee at that comment. I settled him down and we walked over to the front door of my house. I looked down in the village and saw Stormfly being fed by her wonderful rider.

I watched as she fed her dragon. My Gods she's so wonderful. I'm still surprised by the fact that I'm allowed to say that I am going out with her. Every time Snotlout sees the two of us holding hands I can see the anger in his face.

In all honesty, that was always hilarious.

I opened the door and saw my dad cooking a fish over a fire in the fireplace. He looked over to Toothless and I and smiled. "Welcome back son! How was training today?" He always tries to involve himself more in my life ever since I started training dragons. He felt bad about the years of neglect and feels he needs to make up for it. So he tends to ask about how everything in my day was…EVERYTHING.

"Training went well today. The twins managed to keep themselves under control and Snotlout wasn't as arrogant as he usually is." He turned away from me and went back to cooking the fish. "Good. Good." Awkward silence filled the air. In the middle of the silence, Toothless pounced up the stairs and into my room where he, no doubt, slept on his stone slab.

"How's the fish?" I asked awkwardly in an attempt to break the awful silence. "It's coming along well. Oh! And Hiccup, before I forget, a young man is looking for you." My eyes widened a little. "Uh, for me? What did he want? Do you know?" Stoick shook his head. "He just told me to tell you to meet him at the entrance of the Great Hall right about now. You'd better get going. I'll take care of supper." With that, Dad shooed me out of the house.

For a while now, not only has he been wanting to know more about what's going on in my life, he also is enforcing rules and specific duties on me because I'm going to be chief someday. He wants to be sure that I'm aware of the rules and the sacrifices required to lead an island. He's been doing this since he officially accepted me as his son after my fight with the Red Death. I guess now he sees me for who I really am and not the son he was trying to mold me into.

It may be annoying at times, but I am grateful for that.

After he pushed me through the door, I walked down the stairs and to the entrance of the Great Hall.

The Hall isn't far from my house so I got there fairly quickly. I walk up the stairs and as I near the front doors, I don't see anybody there. I look around for any form of life while I walk up the stone steps and I suddenly hear the door open.

Out came a Viking, just a little older than me actually, probably by only a few weeks. He wore a blue cloth tunic with a brown belt that supports his brown pants. He wore brown fur boots similar to mine. He had shorter brown hair, which just revealed his blue eyes. Across his shoulder, a bow was slung. And at his waist I saw a sheathed sword. And as I got closer, I noticed that he was built a little more bulky than I was. He seemed quite the warrior compared to me.

I walked up and stood next to him. While I stood I noticed he was staring awkwardly at my fake foot. I cleared my throat to gain his attention. He looked back at me apologetically. "So, are you the one who wanted to see me?" I asked. He nodded. "Yes, I am. My name's Jack." He extended his hand out I accepted it and shook. "Well Jack, what can I help you with?" He seemed a little nervous. Which was strange because of his bow and sword hanging off of his body. "I was just wondering…" He trailed off. "Could I join the Dragon Academy?"

I at first didn't know how to react. No one really ever requested to join the academy.

As I stared him down I slowly began to recognize him. I've seen his face around town some times. He would give a hand over at Mulch and Bucket's house and after the attacks of the Whispering Death, I've seen him helping lend a hand and try to clean the town up. I think I even saw him in the brawl between Outcasts and Vikings on the night of the festival. I just never really got the chance to know the guy.

I shook my head a little to snap myself back into reality. "Uh, you want to join?" I asked stupidly. He nodded. "Ever since you got the whole dragon thing under control, they just seemed interesting to me. I want to learn more about them and maybe even fly one! And besides, you're like the greatest dragon trainer in the world! It would mean a lot to me if you'd let me join you guys." I was scratching my chin. "Well, it is nice to see that others are wanting to join." I pondered. I already knew what my answer was but the look of suspense on his face was pretty comical.

"Jack, I would be honored if you joined the Academy," I said with a smile. His entire face lit up. "Oh thank you! You won't regret this I swear!" He enveloped me in a bear hug that pushed all air away from my lungs. He released me and he still had that happy face of his. He was older than me, and more heavily built, and judging by the weapons hanging off of his body he seemed to be a fearless soldier. When in reality he's just a big teddy bear. Well, I thought of him as a teddy bear up until the point he punched me in the arm just as hard as Astrid does.

He's a hostile teddy bear.

He caught his breath and finally spoke again. "So, when uh, when can I start?" "Tomorrow," I assured. I'll come by your house for training at about one. Sound good?" "Sounds great! Thanks again Hiccup." He punched me in the arm again and walked down the stairs, leaving me by the entrance and with a few new bruises on my arm.

I walked back to my house and saw my dad at the table eating a part of the fish he was cooking earlier. He saw me, patted his hand on the chair next to him and continued eating. I sat down next to him. Once he swallowed he looked down to me. "So how did it go? What did he want?" I looked up at him. "His name is Jack and he says that he wants to join the Academy." My dad's face lit up. "That's wonderful son! You have a new student!" He hit me in the arm in the exact spot where Jack had hit me.

Gods that hurt.

"Yeah. It is. I'm glad that there are more people in the village who want to learn more about the dragons." My dad looked back down to me. "You have yourself to thank for that. You're the one who showed us how the creatures could be trained. Now anyone who wants to fly a dragon only wants to because _you _did it first. You're the towns' role model Hiccup." After he finished saying that last part, he ate the rest of the fish on his plate.

A role model?

Me? Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III?

Never thought of it that way.

After he swallowed the last piece, he got up from the table. "There's more fish for you in the fireplace. I'd love to eat with you but Gobber has something to tell me. Eat up and get to bed. I'll be back later tonight. G'night Hiccup." I watched him walk out of sight. "Night dad."

I looked over in the pot hanging over the fire and saw the rest of the fish. I put it on my plate and basically devoured it. Once I was done, I ran upstairs and hopped into bed. I saw Toothless sleeping on his stone slab silently.

I rested my head to my pillow and allowed myself to drift to sleep.


	2. New Arrivals

The smell of sausage and eggs is what got me out of bed the next morning. My eyes darted open and I allowed the scent to spill into my nose.

Looks like Dad's already up.

Unable to tell what time it is I got up from my bed, got dressed, did my best not to wake up the still sleeping Toothless, and walked down the stairs. Dad wasn't there. He wasn't in the kitchen or the living room. On the table was a plate that had the sausages and eggs I smelled earlier with a side of yak milk. He must be off doing chief business.

I walked over to the table, took a seat and ate my breakfast. The delicious flavors erupted in my mouth with every bite I took. With my plate now empty and the milk all gone, I was now bright, awake and full of energy. I brought my dishes to the sink, cleaned them, and made my way outside.

I must have slept in for a while because the entire village seemed to be awake. Everyone was outside doing their chores, feeding their dragons, making the island function properly. I took a quick look at the sun and noticed it was fairly high in the sky. It must be about noon.

Holy Gods! Dragon training class starts in an hour!

I bolted back into my house, ran up the stairs into my room to wake up Toothless. It's never really a good idea to wake up a sleeping dragon, but we're on a tight schedule now. I have to get him ready for class. "C'mon bud. We slept in long enough. It's time to get up." As I whispered more awaking words into his twitchy ears, his eyes fluttered open and they looked at me. The Night Fury pushed himself up from the bed, stretched, let out one of the most massive yawns I have ever seen, then he sat down and looked at me eagerly.

"Good, you're awake. Come on. We've gotta get ready for training." I turned my back to him and walked down the stairs, listening as he followed me every step of the way. We walked out the door and we walked to the side of the house where I keep a bucket of fish for him for breakfast. I picked up one of them and turned back to face Toothless who saw the fish and pounced with excitement.

"Steady…" I said, trying to calm him. I raised my hand and slowly brought it down to show him that I needed him to calm himself. His jumps for joy faded and he looked at me patiently. "Good boy," I said as I tossed him the fish that he caught in mid-air and tore it apart in his mouth. I let out a small chuckle as I saw him gratefully look at me with his big puppy dog eyes.

"Let's go bud. We should set up the arena before the others get there." I grabbed his saddle, fastened it to his back, hopped on, and we took off into the sky.

We reached the arena in what seemed like an instant. Toothless swooped down and tucked his wings into his body and we smoothly glided through the doors and landed on the concrete floor of the old dragon-slaughtering arena. I jumped off his back and walked over to the closets where we store the practice dummies and the Book of Dragons itself.

I grabbed four Outcast dummies and brought them to the center of the arena. I think we'll work more on aiming today again. They did well yesterday, but I think that there's always room for improvement.

After I set them up precisely where I wanted them, I grabbed my clipboard and wrote down today's objectives. Once I felt that the arena was ready for class, I walked over to Toothless who was patiently lying on the stone cold floor. I patted his head and he gave me a purr in return. I looked up into the sky and determined that it was getting close to 1:00.

I remember my talk with Jack yesterday. I promised I would pick him up in time for class. He seemed really excited to start training. I should probably go get him. The others will be flying in here any minute now. "Well bud, we should probably go pick him up. What'd you say?" He looked at me and smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."

I climbed onto his back and we flew out the doors and back to town. We landed in the village square in a matter of minutes. I jumped off his back and I looked around. I remember talking with him yesterday, and I forgot to ask which house he lived in.

Great.

I've got to find his house now before class starts.

Way to go me. Way to forget to ask which house he lives in!

Before I had the chance to knock on the first door, I heard my name being called. "Hey Hiccup!" I turned around and saw Jack waving and running up to me. I waved back. I was glad he found me before I made a fool of myself going door-to-door asking if this was the house his lives in.

I walked over to meet him. He wore a similar tunic to the one he was wearing yesterday and this time, he didn't have a bow or a sword hanging off of him. He must at least know that dragons are still frightened of weapons. Smart guy.

Once we were face to face, I asked him "You ready to start?" He grinned. "Ready as I'll ever be." "Great. Let's get going then. The others should be there by now." I called Toothless and he was by our side in a heartbeat. Jack looked him over, beaming at the dragon. "Wow, he's a beauty!" I chuckled a little and patted my dragon's head. "Yep. He's the greatest dragon I could have asked for." I jumped on his back and got ready to fly.

"Hop on. We'll get there faster by flying. You'll love it, trust me." Jack nodded his head, walked over to the side of Toothless and hopped on behind me. "You might wanna hold on," I warned. He looked at me confused then watched as Toothless began to arch his back as he was preparing to pounce into the air. The Night Fury leapt in a perfect vertical angle and Jack let out a yelp of surprise and wrapped his arms around me to keep himself from falling off.

As Toothless slowly steadied himself, Jack began to feel more comfortable and he loosened his grip on me, which allowed air to refill my lungs. He looked around at the view that was being offered up to us and his jaw dropped. He saw the beauty of the island and the vastness of the sky and I could tell that he was getting the same feeling I get when I go flying with Toothless.

It felt good knowing that I was the one who got to introduce him into this new world.

The arena was approaching quickly and toothless began to descend. He lowered himself onto the bridge (which was restored after I was forced to blow off a large portion of it) and ran to the entrance. The three of us pounced in and saw that the others were indeed waiting for me.

Everyone's eyes were on me now. Both in annoyance for me not being here on time and in confusion when they saw I had an extra rider on board. The two of us hopped off and walked over to the others.

"Sorry I'm late guys, but I had to pick someone up. Everyone, this is Jack. He's going to be joining the Academy." Jack let out a slightly nervous wave. "Jack, this is-" "No need for introductions Hiccup. I know everyone here. I do live on this island you know." I stopped talking, feeling kind of stupid for feeling that I had to introduce him to the others.

"Sup Snotlout," he asked and high fived the cocky Viking. He walked around greeting the others and shaking their hands. Fishlegs came up and gave him the longest lasting handshake I have ever seen. He was rambling on about how thrilled he is to have another Viking wanting to join the Academy.

Astrid walked over to me and asked "Hmm, another student. You sure you can handle it?" I smiled. "Of course I can. Who do you think I am?" Once Jack was done greeting with the others, they all stopped talking and looked over at me. "Alright. Well, as you can plainly see, we have a new student. So, I believe that the best way to start off the day is to introduce him to the other dragons and give him a chance to ride each to see what kind of dragon suits him best."

He looked nervous and joyful at the same time. Everyone turned their heads to the direction of where the other dragons were waiting. I walked up to Jack, placed my hand on his shoulder and walked him over to the other dragons. "Alright. I know you can do this. Which one do you want to meet first?" His eyes scanned over the selection of dragons. He stopped looking and pointed to Stormfly.

"Good pick. Astrid, can you help him out?" With a smug look on her face she walked over to her dragon and signaled Jack to come up next to them. With a nervous gulp he walked up to Astrid and her dragon. "Ok, a Nadder head is as fierce and agile as it is beautiful and elegant. Stormfly here is quick, light on her feet and also loyal and respectful of her rider. She likes to be scratched under her chin like so." She demonstrated the scratch that the dragon enjoys.

Jack was looking impressed. "You want to give flying a try?" His eyes widened and he nodded. Jack clumsily climbed on the saddle and sat on the dragon's back. "Alright Stormfly," began Astrid, "show him what you can do." The Nadder head squawked and took flight. Jack's eyes almost pop out of his skull and he tightly wraps his arms around the dragon.

As Stormfly flew across the room, Jack was trying not to fall off and had his eyes closed for the entire time. "Ok! Ok! Get me off of her please!" He shouted when he couldn't take any more. Stormfly lowered herself to the floor and Jack quickly jumped off.

He was gasping for breath and looked terrified. Astrid walked up to him cautiously. "Are you ok?" He swallowed and nodded. "Well, I guess that a Nadder head isn't the dragon for everybody. Try the others. I'm sure you'll find a dragon you can ride." He nodded again and walked away from Stormfly. This time, I walked up to him. "Any other dragons you would want to give a try?" He looked at the remaining dragons and I saw that his eyes were locked onto Hookfang.

"Ah, the Monstrous Nightmare. Snotlout, care to help him out?"

Snotlout walked over, wrapped his arm around Jack's shoulder and lead him to Hookfang. "Now the Monstrous Nightmare is one of the biggest dragons we know of. With sticky lava-like fire breath and massive talons, it's also one of the most threatening. But the one thing that's crucial for the rider is to let him know whose boss." Snotlout grabbed his dragon by the horns, twisted his hip to the right and smashed the dragon's head on the ground.

Jack winced, thinking that the dragon was in pain, but Hookfang looked quite comfortable as he sprawled his tongue on the floor. Snotlout released the horns and looked back to Jack with a smirk. "Care to give him a ride?" Snotlout asked as he gestured to his dragon as it got back to its feet. Jack walked over to Hookfang, jumped on his neck and wrapped his legs around so he fastened himself and grabbed onto the two large horns. "Up Hookfang!" Cried Snotlout. Hookfang flapped his mighty wings and was in the air in no time.

Jack seemed to be doing a little better now. He was steering with ease and seemed more confident in himself. Hookfang let out a howl as Jack accidentally steered him straight into the wall. Jack lost his grip and fell to the floor. Hookfang simply flapped his wings and landed right beside him. Jack stood back, up a little dazed but otherwise not harmed.

"Ok, not a Monstrous Nightmare either," he concluded. I sighed a little disappointed. I looked over to the Tuffnut and Ruffnut who were physically harming each other as always. "How about you guys? Can you help him out with a Zippleback?"

They paused and looked at me. Their heads turned to face Jack and a smile came across their faces.

"Hiccup!" I turned around and saw that my dad just entered the arena. I walked over to him. "Dad, what is it? I'm teaching." He raised his hands defensively. "I know, but I need you. You remember when I said I had to talk to Gobber yesterday? Well, he told me that three people are moving onto the island. Today." "Well dad, that's great but I don't see what that has to do with me."

"Gobber received a message from them yesterday. They say that they know you." My eyes widened a bit. "They know me? Did they say who they were?" He shook his head. I sighed. "And I suppose that you want me to meet with them." He nodded. "Alright. When will they be here?" "I just saw their boat coming up to the docks. They should dock any minute. You and I will meet them there to greet them."

I look over to Astrid. "Do you want to meet them to?" She shrugged. "Sure. I like meeting new people." Dad nodded again. "Then it's settled. Let's get to the docks." "Fishlegs, can you take over class for now?" He nodded. "Not to worry Hiccup. I'll see to it that Jack here finds a dragon." "Thanks Fishlegs. Come on Toothless." Dad raised his hand.

"Sorry son, but Toothless probably shouldn't come with us." "What? Why?" "We aren't sure who these people are. We don't have to scare them off with Toothless right away. We'll introduce them to the dragons once they're settled in." I sighed and looked over at Toothless. "Sorry Bud. You've got to stay put. Don't let Snotlout destroy the place, ok?" He grunted and licked my face. "Good boy." Dad, Astrid and I turned and walked out the large doors to meet the new arrivals.

It took a while to reach the docks on foot but we got there nonetheless. Gobber was at the end waiting for us. "Nice of yeh to join us Astrid." Astrid smiled at the blacksmith. We all reached the end of the dock and I saw a smaller sized boat sailing towards the docks.

_They say they know me? Who could it possibly be?_

The four of us waited and finally the boat reach the edge of the dock and came to a stop. A catwalk was placed between the boat and dock and I was shocked to see who came down it first. She was carrying a few duffle bags, wore a brown jacket, fur boots and had black braided hair that rested on her left shoulder.

"Heather!" I shouted out excitedly. She noticed me, smiled, dropped the bags and ran to us. With a wide smile on her face she wrapped her arms around both Astrid's neck and mine bringing us all into a group hug. She released us and stepped back so we could see each other face to face. "Hiccup it's so good to see you again! And you too Astrid!" Astrid was smiling too, and I was glad that she was.

We've had a lot of trust issues with this girl. She did lie to us so she could deliver the Book of Dragons to Alvin, but that was so that she could save her parents, so she wasn't doing it on purpose. Astrid, it seemed, had the most problems with this girl. She was upset that I didn't believe her when she saw her snooping around the island and even more upset that I was treating her so nicely. I guess she was kind of jealous. (I don't like it when Astrid is upset over something, but it's a cool feeling to have a girl become jealous of someone else because they're around me a lot.)

Speaking of which, Heather's parents were walking along the catwalk carrying their own bags. They smiled and waved at Astrid and I.

Heather placed her hands on her hips, looked around and asked "So where's Toothless?" "He's over at the training arena with Fishlegs and the others. Would you want to come join us?" Her face beamed with excitement. "Absolutely!"

My dad cut in. "But first, we need to help her and her family move into their new home. Go on you two, grab a bag and help them out."

"That's one of my questions, Heather. Why are you and your family moving here?"

She giggled a little. "Help us with our bags, and then I'll tell you."


	3. The New Guy

Carrying Heather's belongings wasn't exactly the easiest chore in the world. Well, considering I've got limbs about as thick as toothpicks and that I can barely lift anything that is about half my size, it wasn't all that surprising that this job was going to be difficult.

Walking back up the catwalks and onto the island with all this luggage in my arms wasn't how I thought today was going to go. But hey, Heather and her family are moving onto the island! I'd say that just a little labor is worth it. Ever since we helped her save her parents, I have kind of felt responsible for her. Now that I know that she will be within talking distance most of the time, I feel better.

As we reached the top and walked into the village I realized that because Heather knows us, we COULD have brought Toothless. She knows him and likes him. She wouldn't have run off screaming. Well, maybe her parents would have, I don't know. Besides, he could have helped me carry their suitcases.

Heather and her parents carried some of their bags while Astrid and I carried most of them to be polite. Where I was scrawny and weak, Astrid was tough and looked like she could handle carrying even more bags. _'Here, take mine'_, I thought.

Finally we reached an empty house and determined that this is where they will live. "I'm so excited," cheered Heather as she burst through the door. Before I walked in, I looked over to the house on the right and noticed something. "Well well Astrid. Looks like you've got a new neighbor." "Yes. I've noticed. This should be fun."

We each walked into the house and dropped the luggage. I let out a huge sigh and allowed the air to refill my lungs. My dad walked in behind us and patted me on the back, pushing all air back out. "Thank you son. Now I must have a talk with Heather's parents. You and Astrid may resume your dragon training now." "Dragon training," asked Heather as she put down the last of her bags. She looked at us excitedly. "Would it be ok if I were to watch you?"

I smiled. "Of course. And hey, when you're ready, we'll be able to find your own dragon." She let out a little squeal. "I hope it's a Nadder like Astrid's!" Astrid laughed at the comment. "I'm sure we'll be able to find a Nadder for you. A Nadder suits you. Come on, let's get going to the arena." "Bye Mom. Bye Dad. I'll be back soon." Her parents waved to us as we walked out the door and into the woods. The three of us walked side by side with me in the middle, Astrid to my left and Heather to my right.

"This is so exciting! I can't wait find and train my own dragon!" I let out a little laugh. "I'm excited too. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here." "Hiccup's right," agreed Astrid, "we have other things to talk about. Like why did you and your family decide to move here?" She stroked her black braided hair.

"Well, my mom and dad own a fishing business. Because we come from such a small village and my dad had already taught everyone there how to catch fish, they didn't need us anymore. So, in order to make a living, we had to expand. I suggested that we move here and set up our business and, here we are." She outstretched her arms to signify that 'here' meant Berk.

"That sounds great Heather. From now on, when I need a fresh Cod, I'll come to you." She let out a little laugh. She tends to do that. A lot. I didn't mind though. It was kind of cute. "And I've got a question," I started. "Why didn't you say that it was you who was coming to the island in that message?" I saw Astrid nod, sharing my curiosity. "My mom and dad suggested that we say who we were, but I insisted that we let it be a surprise for you. Was it a surprise?"

"Oh, I was surprised alright." Her and Astrid laughed at this. "Yep, and it takes a lot to surprise _my _Hiccup here," Astrid said as she intertwined our fingers and kissed my cheek. She put extra emphasis on the 'my' as if to say that she owned me.

Heather's eyes looked like they were about to exit their sockets and she gasped and almost tripped on a stray tree root. "You two are together now?" Her left hand was over her mouth and her right one was pointing directly at us. Astrid and I looked at each other, then back to Heather and nodded.

She literally jumped in the air and shouted in absolute delight. When she calmed down she looked at us and continued to talk. "I knew it! I knew it I knew it I knew it! The moment I saw you two from under my boat, I knew you two shared something!" Astrid and I were smiling and laughed as she yammered on about how happy she was for the two of us.

She calmed down again and talked in a regular voice. "So, how long have you two been together?"

My mind went back to the night of the festival and how we kissed on the dance floor. "For a few months," I said. I looked over to Astrid and noticed she was blushing a little. "So," Heather started. "Tell me about it. When did this all start?" I cleared my throat a little. "Ah, Heather, it's kind of a long story. You probably don't want to hear it." "I don't know, we've got time," said Astrid, clearly wanting to see me make a fool of myself in front of Heather.

"Thank you, Astrid," I growled, not wanting to explain the story to Heather. It just seemed a little awkward to me. But the look on Heather's face clearly said that she really, REALLY wanted to know. I sighed. "Ok look, it started like this."

I told Heather about the festival we held and how I have wanted to ask Astrid to it for a long time but I was too afraid to. Once I got to the part where I actually asked her to the festival, Heather interrupted. "That's so cute! Whoops, sorry. Go on." We are getting closer to the arena now. I told her about the actual night of the festival and how Alvin showed up and captured our dragons. She let out a little gasp of fright. I assured her that everything turned out fine. Alvin had been the one who kidnapped her parents and forced her to deceive us. So, naturally, she wasn't too fond of him.

After I told her that bit, Astrid took over and told the rest of the story about how I unlocked the dragons and saved her from Alvin himself. Heather let out a sigh of relief. "And I suppose that you two have been together ever since. That's great! But I have one question, what happened to Alvin?" I let out a little snort. "Let's just say that we won't ever be hearing from him again. A 'friend' of ours took care of him." I knew she didn't understand what I meant by saying friend, but she did understand that it meant that Alvin was gone. Forever.

"Wow, look at you Hiccup. Defeating the Outcast chief and getting the girl. You're a regular hero, you know that?" Before I could protest at that statement, Astrid spoke up and said, "He sure is. He'll try to tell you that he isn't a hero and that he was just doing what anyone else would do, but don't listen to him." Both Astrid and Heather giggled again. Not only are the two of them getting along now, but also I think they're forming some sort of clique.

Feeling a little uncomfortable, I changed the subject. "Well, what about you Heather?" She looked at me confused. "What about me?" "Do you have a special someone yet?" She let out a little snort. "Nah. Not yet. But hey, I'm perfectly fine by myself. A special guy would be nice to have, but I can handle myself just fine." As she said that, she began to raise her chest and chin a little in order for her to display her confidence.

Astrid and I both laughed. "Well alright then. Hey, the arena is right up ahead. Let's get going."

The green grass suddenly stopped and was replaced with stone. The bridge to the arena was just ahead. We walked across the bridge and reached the other side.

That's when we heard the screams.

The three of us ran as fast as we could to the entrance. When we got there and ran inside, we found the source of the screaming: Jack. He was attempting to ride Meatlug now. He was spinning in complete circles in the air and holding on to the Groncle's back with all his might. Over the screams I could hear Fishlegs shouting out words of encouragement. Whether it was to Jack or Meatlug I wasn't sure. Meanwhile, Snotlout and the twins were enjoying the little show that Jack was putting on for them.

It's going to take a freaking miracle to get this guy to ride a dragon.

Meatlug let out a fireball from her mouth and it hit the wall, leaving a charred circle on impact. The force of the blast from the dragon made Jack lose his grip. His hands slipped off of Meatlug's reins and he fell to the floor, again. He landed with a loud thud in the center of the room, a little harder than the last few wipeouts he's had. Astrid, Heather and I let out a gasp in unison.

Before I could run over to his side, I heard "Oh my goodness!" Heather ran straight towards him before I got the chance to. At the sound of her voice, the other teens looked in her direction and their jaws dropped. They clearly weren't expecting her to be coming to the island either. She ignored their stares and made her way over to Jack, who was beginning to stand up on his own. "Hold on, hold on. Let me help you." She reached under his arm to help him up. He seemed a little dizzy. "Thank you," he muttered. Once he got to his feet, he looked over to the person who helped him up. Then, both of them froze.

For what seemed like hours the two of them just stood there, looking, staring, and analyzing each other's faces. Jack's jaw was now dropped and Heather looked a little out of breath. Time unfroze for the two of them once Snotlout walked over to the two of them with outstretched hands. "Well look who's back on the island. Couldn't take another day without me babe?" Heather looked disgusted.

With a simple raise of his hand, Jack pushed Snotlout away from the two of them. "Hey," he simply said. "Hey," she returned. Jack offered his hand. "Uh, my name's Jack." Heather looked at it and took it. "Heather."

Astrid and I were watching in disbelief. Looks like little miss 'fine by herself' found someone. And pretty quickly I might add.

The two of them kept shaking hands, completely oblivious to the fact that they were even doing it. They just stared at each other in an awkward and never ending silence. I had to end it. I walked over to them and put my hands on both of their shoulders. "Well, now that the two of you are formally introduced, let's get back to work, shall we?" As I said that, they both snapped back into reality.

"Oh, yeah. Uh, sure. Yes. I'm ready," they both stuttered.

"Alright everyone, you've clearly noticed Heather. She will be living on Berk with us from now on." The teens gave a cheer, except for Jack who was still staring at her. Heather blushed a little. "Does she need a place to stay? Because my place is _always_ open," said Snotlout in the most creepy voice I have ever heard.

I quickly intervened. "She already has a place to stay. Thank you Snotlout for your kind offer," I said, trying to shut him down.

He backed up. I looked at Jack and Heather. "Hmm, looks like we've gotten two new students today," I said. Heather looked at me hopefully. "Would you like to join the Academy?" She first looked at me, then back to Jack. "Yes!" "Great." It was painfully obvious that these two wanted to get more acquainted, so an idea popped into my clever little noggin.

"Now Heather, You've been on the island before and have some riding and training experience. Jack on the other hand has not. I've got my hands full with the others at the moment. So, how would you like to be Jack's dragon training instructor?"

They both gasped and looked at me with wide eyes. I saw Astrid in the corner of my eyes with a smirk on her face and her hands on her hips, clearly admiring how well I'm handling my sudden role as matchmaker.

Jack and Heather looked at each other quickly then back to me again. Then they both replied in unison.

"Yes!"


	4. Dagur's Discovery

"No, no, no no. No, No, NO NO NO NO!" Cried the enraged leader of the Berserker tribe. "This is unacceptable! We are the Berserkers people! We need a plan of action, as in, right now!" Dagur and his fleet had been sailing out a sea for months now.

They had one mission: find and slaughter every dragon they find: just as every Viking was made to do. About four months ago, Dagur had set sail with an armada of thirty ships to invade uncharted islands and rid them of the reptilian vermin. Five ships have been destroyed.

Not that the losses meant anything to him. The outrageously barbaric teenager only cared for reaching the goal and is willing to do anything it takes to reach said goal. Even if it means casualties will be inflicted. Unlike his father Oswald the Agreeable. The coward would never do anything like this. Ever since his father 'resigned', Dagur swore that he would do whatever it takes to bring the Berserkers back to their feared stature.

"Come on guys. Why did I start this dragon invasion?" They all sighed and replied in unison, "To return the Berserkers to their former glory." They had been through this a million times; they knew exactly what to say when asked that question.

"That's right. And I can't do that when I'm commanding a group of lazy warriors! Come on! Get your heads in the game! I have done most of the dragon killing around here," he said while motioning to the mounted head of a Monstrous Nightmare and the hide of a Zippleback laying on the floor across from the war map that the warriors were all huddled around.

"Now, I know I am amazing and dashingly handsome, but I can't possibly take down these beasts on my own! That's why I brought you all on this voyage with me, to help with the slaughtering. Now I don't think that that's too much to ask for, is it?" The occupants of the room muttered and shook their heads.

"I didn't think so. Now, I'm all ears people. Any suggestions on which island to go to next?"

At first there was silence. Then a voice came from the crowd and said "How about Outcast Island?" Dagur thought for a second. "Nah, we'd never find a dragon there. Besides, I haven't heard anything from them for months. They must already have their hands full. Anywhere else?" He sat down in a chair and pulled a throwing knife from his sheath and started to poke the sharp time in a bored manner.

He stared down at the table that displayed a map of the seas with various red X's over the islands that they have cleared out. "How about the original dragon island in Helheims Gate?" "No. Stoick and his band of misfits already cleared …" He trailed off. He thought for a moment.

_Stoick…_

Berk…?

"That's it!" He franticly stood from his chair and waved his knife in the air making the surrounding Berserkers to jump back in fright.

"The last time I visited the island of Berk, they had a little dragon problem that they seemed to have lost control of. What do you all say we go help them out?" A devious grin was plastered on his face. The warriors scratched their heads awkwardly and looked to the floor. Dagur let out a loud growl that snapped everyone out of their little thought process and they all shouted in agreement.

Dagur was pleased. He wasn't stupid. Right after that so called 'attack' happened in the dragon-killing arena, he knew instantly that the Vikings of Berk had actually trained these things.

_Trained!_

It is a disgrace and mockery to Vikings everywhere for such an idea of Vikings and beasts living together.

"Then it is settled. We sail of Berk at dawn!" As he said that, he raised his knife in the air and stabbed it in the map where Berk was located, marking their next destination.

As the fake cheering died down, footsteps were heard outside the door to the war room. The door burst open and a panting man holding a rolled up blueprint and a large bag slung over his shoulder with weapons that Dagur had originally requested.

"Ah, Meathead, glad you could join us. Please come forward." The man gulped and nervously walked over to the insane teenager. He hated working for this kid. He missed the days when Oswald ruled and there was peace. Meathead had worked as the weapons maker and inventor for the chief, but now that Dagur was in charge, he can only answer to him now.

He stumbled forward as the others cleared a path for him so he could reach the table they were surrounding.

He let the materials in his hands spill onto the table and lined them up neatly so he could present them. He opened his bag and weapons were released and fell to the table, bows, arrows, swords, throwing knives, the mere sight of it all made Dagur smile uncontrollably. "I-I did what you asked. I made c-certain modifications to the tip of each arrow with a certain amount of explosive putty. They will explode on impact. The explosion won't be massive but it will do serious damage to the d-dragons…" He trailed off as he saw Dagur walk over to the other side of the table and picked up a bow and one of the explosive arrows.

Dagur examined his new toys thoroughly. He took the explosive tipped arrow and knocked it into place on the string and drew back aiming at nothing in particular. The others gasped in horror and walked out of the path that the arrow was pointing at. Dagur didn't release it of course. He was merely seeing how well the aiming worked. He let the string of the bow go slack and he grabbed the arrow and placed it on the table with the bow. "Nice work there, Meathead. What else ya got?"

The inventor gulped again. He picked up a separate pair of arrows. "These are flaming arrows. The tips are soaked to the core with a very flammable liquid. The tiniest spark will set the tip ablaze. W-whatever is unlucky enough to have been hit by it will be consumed by flames." Dagur's smile grew larger.

The inventor continued. "And I know that you don't prefer to use a sword. So, I have created specially designed throwing knives for you." At the sound of that, Dagur's attention was brought to what the man had laying in his palm. Three sharp, thin knives with a loop on the end of the handle.

"You put you fingers through the loops and you will be able to throw these things with ease." Dagur snatched the knives from the man's hands. Doing as Meathead said, he looped his three middle fingers through the end and stared at them. He turned around quickly and with a flick of his wrist, he sent the sharp objects whistling through the air and they hit the back wall forming a triangle as they sunk in the wood.

He smiled. "Great work doc. And what have you there?" Dagur was gesturing down to the blueprint that lies on the table unfurled. Meathead's eyes widened a bit as he realized that he still had one more thing to show him. He grabbed the paper and unfurled it across the table and it revealed designs for a new mode of transportation.

"I call it a hot air balloon." As he said it, Dagur was scratching his chin, looking at the contraption that lay before him. "You see, using fabric that I have the access to, I will create an outer skin that will be filled in with hot air supplied by a fire that burns just beneath the opening right here," he explained, pointing to specific locations on the design.

"The fabric will fill with the hot air and will create lift that will lift the basket that is attached to the bottom right here. That is where the rider will, um, well, ride. Using sandbags as weights, we will use them to safely lower the hot air balloon back to the ground. What are your thoughts?" Dagur looked perplexed.

"Really? I mean really? That is what you've come up with?" Dagur let out a little laugh. "There is no way that this thing will be able to fly! The fire is much to close to the fabric! It will catch fire immediately! You old fool. Go work on some other transportation project. And once you've gotten a good one, then come talk to me."

Meathead looked frightened. He never liked it when Dagur yelled at someone, let alone him.

Before the deranged lunatic could continue his rant, another Berserker who burst through the door interrupted him. "Master Dagur! You may want to see this!"

Dagur let out another growl but he eased up on the inventor. He walked to the other side of the room and picked up his helmet with lopsided horns and set it atop his head. He followed the other Berserker out the door, up the stairs and onto the main deck where he saw that his boat had come to a halt on shore of an island. Strange, he never felt the boat give an uncomfortable jerk when he was below deck.

"You found another island and didn't bother to tell me?!" Before his rage continued, the other Berserker pointed to the shore where five others were huddled around looking at something. "Look."

Dagur saw the men and instantly grew immensely angry. What sort of insubordination was this? What, were they having a party on the beach? Dagur walked to the edge of the boat and hopped off and landed on the smooth sand. He walked furiously to the huddled Vikings and couldn't wait to see how important staring at some random object was more important than following direct orders!

"What is the meaning of this?" He shoved his way through the small crowd, looked down and saw what they were all marveling at. "Oh," was all he managed to say.

What was lying before them was a yellow stone. But not just any yellow stone, this one was translucent to the core and rays of red and blue and other warm colors flowed through it. He began to stutter, "It's… It's…" "It's a wonder stone!" A Berserker finished. "No it's not! That is obviously a good luck stone. Can't you tell?" The others began to argue with each other on what this stone was called but Dagur didn't listen. He knew exactly what this thing was.

"I don't care what it's called! What's important is that it's mine!" He reached down and scooped the stone in his arms and lifted it so he could stare at its beauty.

He had heard stories about this thing but didn't know whether or not that they were true. Apparently they were. This stone was said to bring astounding amounts of good luck to whoever possesses it. Just holding this thing and Dagur could feel its power pulsing through his body. His eyes were wide and his jaw was dropped. He had no way of describing how he felt at this very moment.

_So, this thing brings good luck huh? Well then…._

An idea popped into Dagur's messed up brain. With something like this in his possession, he could take over any island he wanted. He could destroy every village, plunder through any caves, he could do whatever he pleased and not be left with a scratch on him! With this single stone, he could rule over any and all islands that he pleased! Today was the start of a new era for the Berserkers.

Soon, very soon, he shall begin his reign over the islands of the vast ocean, and he knew just where to start. The island he shall attack first contains a certain squeaky-voiced, one-legged traitor to all things Viking. But this attack would take time to formulate. He couldn't just sail to the island and open fire, that's suicide. No, if Hiccup wants to be in the skies with the dragons, then Dagur will just have to fly too.

Dagur turned to the boat and saw Meathead standing on the main deck staring at the six of them. With this stone, there is no way that the hot air balloon could fail. It will still take some time to build multiple of these things, but if it took months of hard work, then so be it.

"Meathead! Explain to me again the concept of this hot air balloon…"


	5. Aerial Assault

"I don't get it! What does she see in him? I'm clearly more athletic and good-looking! Why doesn't she notice me?" The rest of us tuned out the ear-piercingly annoying sound of Snotlout going on his daily rant and decided to focus on what was happening right in front of us.

As Astrid, Fishlegs, Tuffnut, Ruffnut, Snotlout and I leaned against the wall of the training arena, we watched as Heather was teaching Jack how to properly approach and mount a Nadder.

The past several weeks have been torture for me. I am beginning to think that this Viking will never be able to successfully ride a dragon. I've tried almost every tactic I knew how with him: I've taught him to hold out your hand and allow the dragon to bow it's head into it to develop trust, I've taught him how to offer them food and to mount it, but he manages to find ways to botch the entire thing up. I am beginning to know what it felt like to be the other Vikings when I was still known as 'Hiccup the Useless'.

Right when my patience was about to run out, Heather showed up. It has been absolutely no secret that the two of them like each other, but neither of them will admit it. Because of her riding experience, I assigned her as Jack's teacher.

Now, last time we saw Heather, she didn't exactly have the whole riding a dragon thing down yet. But during her time living on Berk, her riding skills have improved significantly. Her maneuvers are clean her dives are sharp; she is a very gifted rider. A few weeks ago, she handpicked her very own dragon. I have never seen someone so excited before in my life. After the Snoggletog incident, we've had a surplus of dragons and we have put most of them to good use, but others remained homeless.

Those babies have now grown up to healthy young dragons. Gobber, the kind soul he is, agreed to look after any dragon left without a home. Heather came up to him and requested a Nadderhead similar to Astrid's. The one she chose was a beautiful lightly black-scaled female with a yellow underbelly. Immediately, Heather gave her newfound friend the name of Starburst. It was a fitting name for such a beautiful dragon.

For the short weeks that she had owned her, they have been inseparable. The same thing goes for her and Jack. The second they laid eyes on each other, I knew they had made some sort of connection. Every time I see her, Jack is always walking right next to her, talking. It was kind of cute actually. After seeing their faces when they met in the arena, I knew I had to keep the two of them together. That's why I decided to assign her Jack's teacher.

And, in a surprisingly short amount of time, she's done a great job.

While he isn't a spectacular rider yet, he has greatly improved since his first failure of a session. Each time he and Heather rode on Starburst, he soared through the air and had total control. Never have I ever felt so proud of two people. However, whenever he did well, Heather was always riding with him. It's now time to see how he does on his own.

The black Nadder squawked and stretched her wings as he approached her. He flinched back a little and Heather tried to calm him down. "Don't worry, she's not going to do anything to harm you. Slowly walk to her and outstretch your hand." He gulped and nodded. He slowly inched his way to the Nadderhead. "Come on already you big baby!" Snotlout certainly wasn't helping the situation at all. Astrid hit him in the back of the head to shut him up.

When all else fails, send in Astrid.

Meanwhile, Jack finally got close enough to Starburst to outstretch his hand. The Nadder's eyes narrowed as she began to sniff his hand. My heart was pounding in my chest. I really want this day to be the day he learns to fly a dragon. Starburst let out a final snort and she lowered her snout to rest in the palm of his hand. He flinched a little at the scaly feel of it, but he eventually let out a small laugh as he realized what he had just done.

"Great job!" Heather's face couldn't be any brighter than it is right now. "Alright," I began, "she trusts you completely now. You can now mount her and she will allow you to fly." His eyes widened a little in fear, but one look from Heather was all it took. His face changed from a look of fear to a look of determination as he put his foot into the stirrup and hoisted himself onto the dragon's back.

He sat steadily on the saddle and grabbed hold of the reins. "Now, I've trained Starburst with words. Just say 'up', and she'll take flight." Jack nodded and leaned down to the dragon's ear. "Um, up?" Starburst's eyes widened and she obeyed. Her wings stretched out to full length and began to flap. Jack held on tight as the Nadder rose from the cold stone ground. "You're doing great!" Cried Heather. "Now, just snap the reins and she'll begin to move." With hesitation, he snapped the reins down. Not a second afterwards, the Nadder flew straight and banked to the left. Jack held tightly and his eyes wide with fear, but as he kept going, he found himself in control.

He pulled the reins back to slow the dragon and hovered for a few seconds. He snapped the reins again and the dragon gave a small squawk. They flew beautifully. This is the best I've ever seen him fly. Heather, Astrid and I gave a whoop of triumph as he continued to soar across the arena. When he was finished with his very first practice flight, he landed Starburst and hopped off. He patted the dragon on the head and she purred in reply. The second he turned around Heather had already wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him into a tight hug.

"You did it! You actually flew on your own!" He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "Well, you did help a lot after all." The two of them just stared at each other for a few moments, not saying anything. I stepped up and cleared my throat. "Well, I'd say today was a very successful day of training. How about we call it a day?" Astrid and the rest murmured and nodded in agreement. Right after, Fishlegs, Tuffnut, Ruffnut and Snotlout ran to their dragons and flew out of the arena, leaving me with Astrid, Heather and Jack.

"Nice job today bud. Best day of flying you've had yet," I said to him. He smiled a little then his gaze went back to Heather's. "Well, let's head on back, shall we? It's almost time for Gobber to clean Toothless' teeth." Jack let out a small chuckle at the irony of that sentence. "I'll race you all there!" Astrid ran to Stormfly and rocketed out the door. Heather and Jack looked at me in slight confusion. "Is she usually that excited," Jack asked. I shrugged. "On a good day."

After that, I hopped on Toothless as Heather and Jack mounted on Starburst, this time with Heather in control and Jack sitting behind her. "Alright, let's go." Toothless hopped and flew straight through the opening with Starburst following close behind me. Jack wrapped his arms around Heather's waist so he didn't fall off.

We flew over the treetops and reached the village in what seemed like seconds. On the ground I could see Astrid standing next to Stormfly proudly. Toothless landed a few feet away from her with Starburst close behind us. "Man," she teased, "you guys sure are slow today." "Well, you did just sort of ditch us there without any second thought," I said. "Yeah well, I was in the heat of the moment," she smiled. I looked over to Starburst and watched Jack and Heather jump off her saddle, and then looked over to Toothless. "You ready for some healthy teeth, bud?" He snorted in reply. I looked over to Jack and said, "I've learned that that means 'yes.'" We all let out a small laugh.

I looked over at Astrid and said, "I'll catch you later." She waved to me as we walked off and she made her way to Jack and Heather to talk about today's events in the ring. Toothless and I walked into town and I saw Gobber standing outside his shop. I turned and started to walk over to him.

That's when the ground blew up beneath my feet.

In a flash of orange and brown I was blown backwards by the force of the sudden explosion by about ten feet. I landed hard on my back and hot chunks of earth rained down all over me. Toothless was forced back a few feet too, but didn't take nearly as much force of the blast as I did. He ran over to me and yelped worriedly. "Ugh, I'm fine bud." After I said that, Gobber was walking around the small crater in the ground and came to me. "By Odin's beard 'iccup! Are ye' alright?" He reached his right hand down and I grabbed hold as he pulled me up. I looked around my body to make sure I was still in tact.

"I think so," I breathed. "Hiccup!" I looked behind me and saw Astrid, Jack and Heather running in my direction with their dragons following them.

"Don't worry guys. I'm fine," I assured them.

After I said so, Heather's jaw dropped in shock. Jack looked at her face, then in the direction where she was looking, and his jaw dropped too followed by Astrid's. I looked behind me to see what they were looking at. Then, of course, my jaw dropped.

What we were looking at wasn't on the ground, nor was it coming from the ocean, it was in the sky. There were dozens of them! I can't even believe I didn't see them on my flight back into town.

I have no idea how to describe what they looked like. All I could tell was that they were giant pieces of a certain fabric or canvas that were being fed by a small burning fire under them to create lift. Dangling beneath the fabric by four ropes was what appeared to be a giant basket, a basket big enough to fit a few men. My eyes widened as I tried to count how many of these things there were, but I lost count after the twelfth one. Dozens upon dozens of them floating gently in the breeze in our direction.

I heard a whizzing sound followed by another explosion. I looked to the side and noticed a large hole was blasted into a house of a fellow Viking. I heard another whizzing sound and another explosion. I looked up at the floating objects and I was able to make out a tiny thin line flying from the basket and hitting a building, blowing it up on impact. I quickly realized then that the explosions were being caused by whoever is inside those things.

Vikings spilled out of their homes and started to run amok around town in panic. I don't know who these guys are, but they have made it painfully clear that they are not here on peaceful grounds. "Everyone! To your dragons now!" I looked behind me and saw my dad running up beside Gobber. He looked at me worriedly. "Hiccup, what in the name of Loki's horns is going on here?" "Dad, I don't know! We just have to stop these things before they tear the island apart!" As we were shouting, a rope landed in front of me. I looked up and saw one of the flying objects right above us. Coming down the rope was a large armored man. He jumped and landed right behind my dad. He drew his sword and tried to slam it on my dad, but he drew his sword as well and their blades clashed. My dad let out a gasp.

"Why, you're a Berserker! What's the meanin' of this?!" The man frowned. "Sorry Sir. I'm just following orders." I looked around and saw more and more Berserkers climbing down from ropes with swords in their fists. My dad turned to me. "Hiccup, run! Now!" Dad tried to strike but the Berserker blocked and kicked dad in the leg. Not wanting to see this, Toothless and I did as we were told and ran.

More and more Berserkers climbed down the ropes and were locked in combat with my fellow Vikings. I looked behind me and saw Astrid climbing onto Stormfly and Heather hopped onto Starburst, but Jack made a run for Gobber's shop just a few feet in front of us. He came back out with a bow in his left hand and a quiver was hanging off of his back and a sword was clenched tight in his right hand. A Berserker landed and made a run for Starburst, but before he could strike, Jack loaded and arrow and launched it into the man's thigh. He collapsed on the ground and wrapped his arms around his leg in pain. I looked back over to Jack. "Go on," he said, "I'll help fight down here. I'm better in hand-to-hand combat." I nodded and he ran off into the battle now taking place in my village.

I looked over to Toothless. "Let's go bud." I saw Astrid and Heather already on their dragons waiting for my call. I climbed on the saddle, attached my prosthetic into place, nodded at the others, and flew.

As I took to the sky I kept hearing more and more of that same whizzing sound. I looked over at the flying contraptions and saw men with bows. And they were aiming at me! Toothless dodged and weaved in between the volley of arrows, not allowing a single one of them to make contact with my body. I followed the trajectory of the arrows and saw that they had exploded once they hit their target. These people have found a way to create arrows that explode on impact! How in Thor's name did they think of that?

I have no time to think about that now. I've got to stop this invasion.

To my left I could see Heather and Astrid flying between the flying objects with great ease. The two Nadderheads breathed fire on the baskets, setting them ablaze, forcing the inhabitants to abandon ship and into the water below. "Go Toothless!" The Night Fury obeyed and flew straight forward, avoiding all explosive arrows in the process. He flew up, drew his claws, and punctured a hole in one of the flying machines. Hot air blew out of the hole as it began to descend to the ground.

Again Toothless used his claws to dig holes into another piece of fabric, and another, and another, each one rapidly losing altitude as he did, but there were too many of these things to destroy, and dodging a massive volley of arrows wasn't helping at all. I could see Heather and Astrid saw my technique and they began to copy it, clawing and digging into the fabric. Another arrow zipped by my head, but instead of feeling air zoom by me, I felt heat. I turned toothless around so I could see where that particular arrow came from. My eyes widened when I found it.

"Dagur," I said under my breath.

He looked at me with that wickedly maniacal smile of his. "Well well. If it isn't my favorite target!" He was standing inside one of the baskets being suspended in the air by the fabric being filled with hot air. In his hand was a bow, and he aimed it right at me. But this wasn't a usual arrow that was knocked in his bow. The tip of the arrow was on fire. This man had learned how to make explosive arrows, and flaming ones?! He's really living up to his name of 'deranged'.

His grip on the arrow loosened and it went sailing by Toothless. He turned and flew the other way, quickly avoiding a flaming arrow. As we flew between the hanging baskets, I heard another zipping noise, but this time it was followed by a noise that sounded like tearing. I looked behind me and saw that Toothless' prosthetic tailfin has been hit with a flaming arrow. The tail quickly erupted into flames and Toothless began to struggle. "Come on buddy, come on buddy! Just hang in there," I tried to shout words of encouragement at the now freefalling Night Fury, but he had already lost control.

We were spiraling through the air, a trail of smoke following me as Toothless' tail proceeded to burn. The ground was approaching fast. Toothless angled his body as we came into contact with the roof of a building and we fell straight through. We fell inside and crashed out the wall and landed hard on the grass. Ignoring the pain in my sides, I ran over to Toothless who was lying on the grass next to the hole in the wall we created. "Toothless!" I ran over to him and placed my hands on his face. "You alright bud?" Before he could answer, a loud roaring noise came from behind me.

I looked back and saw a Berserker running towards me at full speed with a mace in his hand. Before he could pound the spiked object on my scrawny body, an arrow pierced his forearm. He lost his grip on his weapon and fell to the ground in pain, clutching his wounded arm. Behind him stood Jack with his bow. He ran up to me instantly. "Hiccup! Are you ok?" "I'm fine. But Toothless isn't able to fly without his tailfin. We're grounded!"

A blue Nadderhead landed ten feet from us. Astrid looked at me with fear filling her eyes. "Don't worry Astrid, I'm fine. But Toothless can't fly. Dagur is up there; I need to get to him!" As I said this, I could hear the battle in the village square: clanking metal, roaring men, craters and holes decorating the streets.

Astrid motioned with her hands for me to join her on Stormfly. I looked back to Toothless. "I can't leave him!" Jack put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll take care of him. No one is going to touch him." I didn't want to leave him, but I have to. Besides, I know Jack will never let anything happen to him. I looked over at Toothless, his body has bloodstains here and there and he looked at me with pain in his green eyes. "Don't worry bud, I'll be back soon. Jack won't let anything happen to you." "Ok, now come on!" Astrid yelled. I ran over to her and Stormfly, jumped on behind her, and we took off.

"I have to get to Dagur!" "Which one is he in?" "Um…" I looked from one flying machine to the other, trying to remember which one he was riding in. They all look the same, I can't tell which one he's hiding in! We flew under the flying objects as I tried to pinpoint where the coward was-

"There!" I pointed up and saw Dagur leaning out of his basket with his eyes on a target while he aimed his bow, I'm thankful that it wasn't me. Astrid began to rise until I stopped her, "No! No, I've got to come up behind him." She nodded and brought Stormfly around the other side of him. She rose a few feet so I could reach for the basket. I stood on the saddle, reached my hands out and, as silently as I could, grabbed the edge of the basket. My feet left the saddle and I fastened them to the side of the basket. I am now completely hanging off the side of this thing.

With my free hand I shooed Astrid away and told her to destroy as many of these things as she could. She nodded and flew off.

With my hands gripping the edge of the basket I raised my head so I could peek at Dagur. With his back facing me he was firing more and more explosive arrows from his bow. I reached my hand over to his bow in an attempt to snatch it from his hands, but something caught my eye. I looked down and my heart dropped. Resting on the floor of the basket was a yellow oval object with many different colors swirling inside of it. Dagur is unknowingly in the possession of a Changewing egg, no doubt believing that it is a stone meant to bring you good luck.

At the sight of it I let out a small gasp. Dagur stopped firing and raised his head in confusion. He turned.

_Ah crap._

He turned one hundred and eighty degrees and he was staring right at me now. A look of shock was plastered on his face. "You!" He unsheathed his sword that was just hanging off of his waist, raised it and attempted to strike my hand with it. I shimmied to the left and avoided the blade as it dug itself into the edge of the basket. I shimmied to the other side of the basket while he got a grip on his sword, raised it out of the cut in the basket and swung it at my head. I ducked and avoided the sword, but the blade cut one of the four ropes that held the basket to the giant fabric. The basket became lopsided and I almost lost my grip. Dagur, losing his footing, fell towards me but he was still safe inside of the basket.

He took his sword in both hands and pointed it horizontally to the basket where my stomach was. Uh oh.

He lunged forward and dug the blade into the basket. I took another shimmy to my left and avoided the blade piercing the basket where my body was previously. I was now hanging from the front of the basket. He dug his blade out from the side of the basket and attempted to swing it at my head once again. I ducked and felt a whoosh of air over me as the blade narrowly missed the hairs on my head. However, the blade found another target; the second rope that kept the basket hanging.

The basket dipped dangerously forward with no support on the front side. Dagur desperately tried to get a grip on something to prevent himself from falling to the hard earth. With the basket now hanging from its side, the egg was rolling freely in it. I reached my hand out and scooped it into my arm safely. In the corner of the basket was a rope, a long one that no doubt was meant for climbing out of the basket and invading the island. I reached for the rope, grasped it, and flung it out over the edge. With the back end still attached to the basket, the rest of the rope unfurled itself to the ground below.

"You're not going anywhere with my rock!" Dagur, still hanging on for dear life on whatever piece of basket he could find, managed to connect his boot with my face. I lost my grip on the edge of the basket and fell downward with the egg still tucked into my arm. My free hand reached out and grabbed the rope that was hanging from the precariously dangling basket. I fell about ten feet. My hand is burning on the rope as I tried to get a good grip on it. I looked down and noticed that the rope wasn't long enough to reach the ground; I still had a good thirty-foot drop to the village below.

I felt a gust of wind in my face and felt the flying contraption being pushed by the wind. The basket was being carried away from the battling village and we were now hanging over the treetops of the forest. My arm is burning as it bears all of my weight while I desperately hold on to the egg and to the rope at the same time.

I feel the rope give a little jerk. I looked up and saw that Dagur was now climbing down the rope. He looked down on me with bloody murder clearly visible in his eyes. He let go of the rope and plummeted to me. He wrapped his hands around my body in an attempt to loosen my grip on the rope. His hands slipped off of my body and he quickly grabbed the rope right below me. He looked up at me and began to climb.

He is insane, but he sure doesn't give up easily.

He climbed and extended his hand upward to my prosthetic leg. He grabbed onto it with an iron grip and shook it furiously. "Give me back my rock!" I struggled to keep my grip on the rope with my one free hand. I shouted down to him, "Dagur, listen! It's not a rock! It's a-" Before I could finish, he gave one last massive jerk on my leg and my grip on the egg loosened.

The egg fell from my arms and disappeared into the dense forest below. Dagur reached his hand out to the ground as if attempting to somehow bring the egg back up to him. He looked back up to me with rage on his face. "You scrawny little bastard! I'm going to-" Before he finished his threat, he and I both looked up to the basket that was still hanging dangerously from the two remaining ropes. The fire that supplied the hot air was now at an awkward angle and the flames were nipping at the ropes.

My eyes widened. The third rope snapped from the heat. The basket took another tremendous dip downward. My grip on the rope was almost lost. The fire continued to bite at the other rope.

_This is it_, I thought.

The last rope snapped and we plummeted… For only a few feet as a blur of black and yellow swooped overhead and snatched the basket in mid fall. "Starburst!" I yelled out. The Nadder looked down and squawked at me and I saw the worried look on Heather's face as she and her dragon carried the basket back to the village with Dagur and I still hanging from the rope. I looked back to the forest and tried to see if I could catch a glimpse of the egg anywhere, but I never did.

In a matter of moments we reached the village, still at war, and she lowered us to the ground. I let go of the rope and landed on my feet with a hard thud. Dagur fell right next to me on his back, but before he even had a chance to stand back up, my dad came from the battle, grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt collar and held him high.

"BERSERKERS!" The battle took a dramatic pause and all eyes were on my dad. "We have your leader. If you want him unharmed, leave immediately!" The Berserkers obliged and ran for the ropes that still dangled at the ground. They scurried up the rope and into the flying objects and flew away in minutes. It was almost as if they didn't want to battle with us in the first place. My dad dropped Dagur to his feet and said, "You're staying with us. We're going to have a little chat." He gulped.

I wanted to smile at the fact that Dagur was going to be brutally punished, but my gaze was diverted to the forest. I dropped the egg. And now, I fear that something far worse that a Viking invasion will plague the island.


	6. Interrogation

The last of those flying things disappeared over the horizon, but the destruction they brought with still remained. Gaping holes in roofs and walls, bits of debris lying everywhere that are the size of me, and even a small fire here and there. Vikings lay on the ground bleeding and gripping their wounds with other victims surrounding them. It was a total mess.

But it's not anything we can't handle. Most of these wounds are merely scrapes compared to the scars others would get during a dragon raid. I once saw a Nadderhead bite off a man's entire arm. Most people in that situation would panic, but not this one. He reached in the dragons' mouth with his remaining hand, took his arm, and beat the Nadder to death with it. That image still haunts me.

Dagur, still being manhandled by my dad, was being brought to the Great Hall. My dad is going to have a serious talk with him. As me, dad and Dagur reached the entrance to the building, I looked behind us and saw Astrid, Heather, Jack, Tuff, Ruff, Fishlegs, and Snotlout following us.

The chief looked to them and said, "No no children, this isn't a matter for you." Astrid looked offended. "That little bastard just launched a full scale invasion on our village! And last time I checked, I live here. So, I think that this might concern me."

She received a glare from the mountainous man. "Young warrior, it'd be wise to not have a tone like that while talking to your chief. Next time you do, your punishment will be worse than Dagur's. Understood?" Astrid stepped back and slightly tilted her head up and down in a nod.

"Good. Come along Hiccup." My dad pushed the doors open right as Snotlout decided to interject. "What?! Hiccup gets to go in but we don't? That is so unfair!" Dad's eyes narrowed and pointed them directly to Snotlout. The teen gulped and stepped back in line.

"Hiccup is going to be chief in the future. In order for him to prepare, he must handle situations like these head on." I felt my stomach drop about five feet as he brought that up again. "Now, does anyone else have something they would like to add?" No response came. "I thought so. Follow me, Hiccup." He pushed open the doors and I followed him inside.

The doors closed behind us with a loud bang as my dad threw Dagur onto a table, causing it to capsize and spill him on the floor. He got back on his feet and screamed, "Hey! That is unnecessary roughness!" "No, this is!" Dad ripped off a piece of wood from a table and smashed it on top of Dagur's helmet causing it to split in half and send splinters flying everywhere. "Dad! There's no need for that! We just have to talk to him, remember?" He closed his eyes, let out a sigh and nodded. Dagur, who was rubbing his head from the impact, looked back at us with pure hatred in his eyes. "You haven't won just yet! My loyal army will be back any day on a rescue mission," he said sounding quite certain of himself.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. They all left in a pretty big hurry. It was almost as if they didn't even want to fight us in the first place," I said while playfully scratching my chin. "Like I said, they're loyal! And they're brave, unlike you cowards!" As he said this, dad let out a chuckle and said, "What?" "You heard me. Cowards! I know you and your tribe are living in peace with these dragons and it's sickening! Dragons are creatures of the darkness made only for killing and maiming! Then suddenly, the one-legged wonder over here," I look down at my left foot and tap it nervously on the stone floor, "feeds you a load of horse shit and now you're living with these beasts!"

"Look," my dad started, "I admit that at first the thought of us living with dragons was sketchy, but Hiccup has demonstrated more than once how useful they can be." Dagur snorted. "You're right, they are useful; as a mantelpiece and for rugs!" I sighed, "Look, you two fighting about the dragons isn't getting us anywhere. Dad, how about we do what we came in here for and get some info out of him. Like, why exactly did you attack our village? I thought we had a peace treaty." "So did I! But you disregarded said treaty when I found out you and the dragons were in cahoots! Besides, my men and I weren't even here raging war on your island; we were aiming for the dragons. You and your men just got in our way."

"Dagur, if you mess with our dragons, then that means you are not here on peaceful terms." The young leader snorted.

"So, let's recap here, shall we?" My dad asked. "You and your men attack our village in cold blood and you don't think you are in the wrong?" Dagur shook his head. "Not at all. If anyone is in the wrong here it's you! Besides the attack would have been successful if your son here hadn't thrown my stone out of my basket. Dad raised an eyebrow. "Stone?" I gulped. "Uh, dad? There is something else we need to talk about. This topic is probably even more important than the one we're on." My dad looked even more confused.

I began to explain. "You see, when Toothless and I were flying passed those flying things-" "Hot air balloons," Dagur corrected. "They were designed and constructed by my very own inventor, Meathead." He looked proud as he said that. "Yeah, mhmm, sure. Anyways, while we were up there, I saw an egg lying in the basket at his feet. It belonged to a… Changewing." Dad's eyes widened in horror. "WHAT?!" His voiced bounced on and off the walls. "A Changewing," I restated. Dagur let out an amused chuckle. "Shows how much you two know. That wasn't an egg, that was the stone that would bring the Berserkers back to their former glory!"

"You attacked our village because you thought you found the stone of good fortune?" My dad asked. "And again, it would have worked if Hiccup hadn't let go of it over the forest." Dad looked at me with concern in his eyes. "It's lost?" "Dad, Dagur was attacking me! I was holding onto the egg as he was shoving me around and I lost my grip and dropped it." Dad let out a gasp and looked over to Dagur. "Do you know what kind of trouble you have brought to our island?" The tone in his voice was dark and kind of ghostly.

"What are you two so afraid of? It's a rock! It'll still be lying on the forest floor." Dad looked back over to me. "Hiccup, is there any remote chance that the egg survived the fall?" "Dad, I honestly have no idea." Dagur had a confused expression on his face. "Why do you keep calling my stone an egg?" Before my dad had the chance to rip Dagur's head off of his shoulders, I walked up to him first and began to explain. "Dagur, that wasn't the rock you're thinking of. That was an egg. Not just any egg, that egg belongs to the most overly protective mother dragon anyone has ever seen. And now, it's lost in our woods. Do you know what that means?"

Dagur grinned. "Yeah, that means Berk will be destroyed anyways!" The chief's eyes narrowed again. "Hiccup," he said that so quietly it could have been a whisper. "You may want to leave." I looked up at him. "Dad, I thought that you wanted me here so that I can learn how to handle situations like these in the future." "That can wait. Besides, at your age, I don't want you to hear what I have to say to this young man." Understanding immediately, I walked backwards to the door and saw the horrified look on Dagur's face. He may be the leader of an entire tribe, but he's still a kid, not too much older than me in fact.

As I was backing towards the door, I mouthed the words 'good luck' to him. My back bumped against the door and I pushed it open and quickly stepped outside.

I closed the door, turned around and saw my friends there, waiting for me. "Uh, hey," I said awkwardly. "Hiccup, what happened in there?" Heather asked with concern mixed in her voice. I swallowed and said, "Look guys, you aren't going to love hearing this, but I have to tell you." I let out a breath, "Dagur found a Changewing egg mistaking it for the stone of good fortune and he used it to launch his raid on Berk." Astrid and Fishlegs let out a gasp. "Y-you mean that… He has an egg that belongs to the one dragon that can blend into its surroundings?" "Well, not exactly." He let out a sigh of relief. "I dropped it and now it's lost in the woods." Fishlegs was about to scream, but Heather quickly placed her hands over his mouth, creating a muffled groan.

Astrid suddenly looked confident in herself, "Alright, we've gotta find this thing. Fishlegs, Jack and Heather, you're with me. We'll fly our dragons over-" "It's no use Astrid. It fell into the forest. There is no possible way anyone would see it from the air. We're looking for it on foot. Besides, I can't go flying. Toothless' tailfin was destroyed." She nodded. I looked over to Fishlegs. "You know most about exotic dragons. Do you know if there is any chance that that egg could have survived a thirty foot fall?"

He pondered that thought for a moment. "Well, it is pretty durable, but I don't know to what extent. I suppose it's possible it could have survived, but I wouldn't get any hopes up."

I sighed and nodded. My eyes were aimed at the forest. Somewhere in that maze of wood, leaves and pines lies the item that can bring forth the destruction of Berk.

"Well guys," I started, "we don't have any other choice. We're going on an egg hunt."


	7. the Egg Hunt

The sun welcomed us in its warm and unforgiving embrace. Sweat trickled down each of our necks and backs and soaking our clothes to the stitches. The only coolness we received was the shadows that the trees provided us as we all walked through the dense forest.

"This… Is… So… BORING," complained Tuffnut in between breaths. "Can't we just sit down for a while?" "No," I repeated for the umpteenth time. "We've got to find this thing as quickly as possible. You remember what happened last time when this happened, right?" He sighed. "Yeah. But can't we at least get our dragons? We can fly over the island and-" "No," I interjected. "We won't be able to find something as small as this egg from the air. We have to look on foot. Besides, I can't fly. Toothless' tail was burned off in the raid and now Gobber is fixing up a new one for him. So, we're on our own for this one, understand?"

He sighed. "Fine."

I nodded and we proceeded forward. I looked up at the sun. "Alright, it looks like it's about two. We should be regrouping with the others soon." To cover more ground faster, we split up in groups and searched different parts of the forest. I had the great honor of having Dagur in my group. But luckily I have Jack, Astrid and Tuffnut to help keep him restrained. Meanwhile, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Heather were looking elsewhere.

His wrists were tied together and Jack was behind him with a sword pointed closely at his back just in case he tried to do anything funny. "I still don't see why we have to bring _him_ along with us," said Tuffnut, pointing a disapproving thumb in Dagur's direction. "Tuff, Dagur was there with hiccup when the egg fell. The two of them have the best guess as to where it landed. I hate to admit it, but we really do need his help."

Dagur grinned at that comment. "Aw, you guys really do care." He received a jab from the tip of Jacks sword into his back. He yelped and jumped forward, arching his back as to avoid another cut mark.

I turned and looked at our captive. "Alright Dagur, help us out here. You're guess is as good as mine. Do you think we're close to the egg?" He rubbed his chin with his restrained hands and made a series of 'thinking' noises. "I'm not sure. My memory is a little fuzzy after your dad beat me like a pile of dead dragon heads!" "It's not like you didn't deserve it," chirped Jack with a grin on his face.

I sighed and turned to look up at the sky once more. "When we were in that floating basket, we drifted off in the wind to the south side of the island for a few miles. That's when we dropped the egg and the last rope snapped and Heather rescued us. I swear that we should have at least noticed something by now…" Astrid shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. You guys were the ones up there and started this mess." I waved her comment off.

"Hey, what's this?" Tuffnut was peering his head in a bush and digging through the dirt. I stepped closer. "What is it? Did you find the egg?" "No, but look at this stick!" He had, indeed, found a stick, and held it proudly in front of him for us to see. "Doesn't it look like a person?" A smug expression came over Dagur's face.

"Here, let me see that." Tuffnut handed him the stick that resembled a person. Dagur grabbed the part of the stick that looked like a leg, snapped it off, and started to make the rest of the body dance in the air. "_Oh. Look at me! I'm Hiccup! I've got one leg and can like, train any dragon. Isn't that awesome guys_?" He mocked. Astrid, Jack and I stared at him, un-amused by his little joke. It did, however, earn him a chuckle from Tuff.

He stopped laughing and looked at me. "Oh come on man. You've gotta admit that's funny. I mean, how long will it take in order for you to joke about your missing leg?"

"Never!" Astrid shouted. "It will never be ok! How do you think he feels by the fact that his body isn't even complete? Can you even imagine what he goes through each day?" I rested my hand on her shoulder. "Astrid, don't worry. It's ok." She looked at me, a confused expression plastered on her face.

"Hiccup, I will not stand by while these two nimrods make fun of your… Condition." I let out a little chuckle. "You don't have to worry about that. Besides, I'm used to people making fun of me." After I said that, she stared at the ground in guilt. "Astrid, don't worry. I'm fine." She looked in the eyes and didn't look away. "So… are you guys gonna like, start making out now? 'Cuz if you are, go behind a bush or something."

"Shut up, Tuffnut," we both said, looking at him.

She looked back at me. "Alright, as long as you're fine. What next?" I thought for a moment and finally said, "We need to keep searching." Tuffnut moaned in exhaustion. "Look, I know we're all hot and tired. But we need to find this thing. If we don't get to it in time, its mother won't be too happy with this island. Understand?" The group nodded their heads. "Good. Now let's-" "Hey, what's that?" Tuffnut pointed to another bush. Astrid snorted, "Tuff, if it's another stick that looks like a person…" "No! Look!"

We all craned our heads in the direction his finger was pointed at. A bush about ten feet in front of us, and it was _moving._ It moved to the left a few feet, then forward. Then it went to the left and this time it stayed stationary. We all looked at it in amazement and confusion.

The bush rustled a few more times before a large figure wearing a horned helmet and a black vest popped out. "Gotcha…! Ah damn! I thought I found the egg!" Snotlout cried as Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Heather caught up to him. "Uh, Snotlout," Fishlegs started, "I don't see how moving a bush around would prove stealthy. Especially when we're looking for an egg."

Snotlout snorted. "Yeah, well, I was hiding in that bush in case the Changewing decided to pop its ugly head out of nowhere." "Again, that's not stealthy," Heather chimed in. "I'm pretty sure any dragon would open fire on a bush that moves." Jack chuckled at this. All eyes were turned to him and he blushed a little.

_Gods why don't they just get together already? It's painfully obvious they've got a thing going!_

I cleared my throat. "Ok, so, judging by Snotlout's 'stealth methods', I'm guessing that you haven't found the egg either." They shook their heads. I let out a little exasperated sigh. "Alright, now that we're all here, I guess that we can just look for this thing together." "Wait," Ruffnut started, "we're still going to look for this thing? We've been looking for hours!"

"Ruff, I'm not going to deal with you right now. Let's just keep moving. Dagur, you go in front." He looked at me and said, "Well, looks like someone is having trust issues."

Jack made Dagur walk to the front of the group. As they marched, Heather walked to Jack's side. I smiled as I saw the two of them finally starting to talk in a non-awkward way. We all walked behind them and trudged through the never-ending maze of trees.

For what seemed like forever, we pounded our feet in the dirt as we continued on our fruitless search for the egg. We looked under every bush, we looked up into the trees to see if it was stuck I one of the branches. No such luck occurred.

More hours passed and Fishlegs finally broke our silence. "Hey, uh, guys. It's getting late. Shouldn't we be heading back? My mom's going to be worried about me." The grouped stopped walking and stared at the giant teen. "Well, your guys' moms are going to be worried too, aren't they?" I sighed. "I think he's right. We've been looking for this thing for hours and haven't found the slightest piece of evidence that it was even here. Let's call it a day."

Everybody let out a sigh of relief. "Thank Thor!" Snotlout shouted out and walked ahead of the group. "It's about time you came to your senses. Come on guys!" He was running away from us now. "Last one back to the village is a rotten Changewing egg-OOF!" He fell back on his rear with a thud as if he ran into something in front of him.

"Ugh! Stupid tree! I'm going to-" He raised his fist and was about to punch the tree he ran into, but there was nothing in front of him. The closest tree he could have possibly run into was about six feet to his left. With his fist still raised in the air, he let out a few nervous chuckles.

"I-I could have sworn that there was a tree right there…" Ruffnut had an agitated look on her face, "Fishlegs, will you stop breathing so loudly?" "That's not me, Ruffnut." "Shh," I demanded. Indeed, another loud breath was heard, and a bush to our right rustled as if wind had passed through it. In a quick flash a shimmer passed in front of a tree and stopped a few feet in front of us.

"Uh, Hiccup," Jack began. "Yes Jack?" He gulped. "I think we're too late."

In front of our huddled together group (after Snotlout ran back to our position after he ran into nothingness), a large creature materialized itself seemingly out of thin air.

It had a long, red head with front way facing eyes, and two horns that protruded from its cranium on either side. Hanging from its head were grapevine-like tassels over where its ears should be. It had a long neck that connected to the body of the massive thing. It had opposable front claws and very sharp looking back ones. A long, slender tail was whipping behind it. The dragon looked us over and its body was hunched in a pouncing position.

"Uh, hi Mr. Changewing," Snotlout said nervously. The monster growled and snapped its head forward in an attempt to eat one of us. We all dodged the massive maw and scattered.

We all ran separately but we were all heading the same direction and we reached a hill slanting downward, which gave us the gift of running slightly faster, but the Changewing was still on our tails. We all dodged and weaved past trees and roots or anything that would slow us down. Fishlegs and Tuffnut stopped and hid behind a large tree to hide from the dragon. Unfortunately for them, the Changewing saw them run behind it and acid shot from its mouth, hitting the tree.

Within seconds, the tree began to lean and creak. Fishlegs and Tuffnut lumped and rolled out of the way before the trunk could crush them, but they landed right in front of the beast. It shot more acid at their feet and they jumped out of the way to avoid it. The Changewing growled and disappeared.

I looked around and tried to find any sign of it, but found none. I did see the rest of my group though, hiding silently behind trees in hopes of not being seen. I followed their action and dove behind a tree. I know it is pointless to hide from something that can turn invisible and is probably looking at us at this very moment, but my first instinct is to at least cover myself from its sights.

A rustling noise to my right caught my attention. I looked over and saw Jack and Dagur hiding behind the same tree. They were out of breath and leaning against the tree for support. When Dagur caught his breath, he turned his head to Jack as an angry look came upon his face. He turned to face Jack, balled his still restrained fists, twisted his waist and connected his fists with the side of Jacks skull. Jacks head was violently jerked to the side and he hit the other side of his head against the tree. His body went limp and fell to the ground.

"Jack!" Both Heather and I shouted at the same time. Dagur turned his head to me and shouted, "Why are we hiding? We should be killing this thing! Like real warriors do!" As he was shouting, I was shushing him and telling him to shut up making arm motions. Dagur reached down to Jack's body and tried to grip his sheathed sword.

Miraculously, Jack was still conscious after that massive blow to his head and grabbed Dagur's hands before they could touch his sword. He had a firm hold on his forearms and delivered a kick to Dagur's shin. He stumbled back in pain allowing Jack to stand back up. Jack clenched his hand into a fist, raised it over his head and was about to slam it on Dagur's noggin, but the teen saw it coming. He raised his hands above his head and caught the fist. He leaned forward and head butted Jack in his nose. He stepped back for a second, but came back to wrestle Dagur.

With the two of them fighting like this, the Changewing would surely find them and melt them to goo. I have to stop them!

Leaning away from my tree, I looked around for any sign of the dragon. I looked for a shimmer, or for some visual disturbance, but I found none. I bolted into a sprint in the direction of the fighting teenagers.

I was nearly half way there when I tripped and fell face first to the dirt and rolled unceremoniously for a few feet. Once I was done rolling, I could still hear the two of them going at it in what sounded like a fight to the death. But when I tried to get to my feet, I noticed, no, I _smelled_ something odd. It was a combination of timber burning in a fireplace and the melting metal I smell when working in Gobber's shop.

I sat up, looked down and my heart sank at the sight. My prosthetic was on fire and the metal foot and melted away into a molten hot liquid. I looked in front of my foot and saw what caused this: a pool of acid. While I was running to the two of them, I failed to notice the pool of green right under me and stepped right into it.

The fire on the leg is growing bigger. I have no choice. I rolled up my pant leg to the point where I could see the prosthetic connect with my stump. I undid my straps and the leg fell to the ground in a burning heap. I lied myself on the ground and rolled away from my now burning leg. I must have made a lot of noise while rolling because I heard Astrid call out to me.

"Hiccup!" Heather and Astrid ran from behind their tree and to my position. They let out a gasp once they saw the situation I was in and Jack and Dagur fighting. "Don't worry, I'm fine. But I can't make it back to the village on my own." They nodded. "Heather, you get his left arm, I'll get his right." I raised my arms and the girls brought their heads under them. I wrapped my arms around their shoulders and they hoisted my body off the ground and onto my one foot.

I hobbled around for a second in order to regain my balance as the two of them held me. "Everyone!" Heather shouted. "We need to get back to the village, now!" After she yelled the final part, the rest of the group ran up from behind their trees and to our position. "Uh dude, your foot's on fire." Ruffnut pointed to the burning piece of wood. "No time for that now. We've got to-" "Jack!" Heather cried out as she saw the two of them still fighting.

Jack connected his foot to Dagur's gut but he refused to go down. He stood back up to meet Jack in the eyes, but Jack brought his fist into Dagur's face. He stumbled backwards and hit a tree. He sat down on the ground in defeat.

"Jack," I started, "get Dagur. We've got to get away from here. Now!" He nodded and reached down to help Dagur off the ground. Before he could pull him off the ground, he heard a distinct _shhhhh _sound from behind.

His eyes widened in fear and his blood turned to ice. He turned around and saw himself face to face with the Changewing.

For a while, he just stood there, frozen in time it seemed. He finally raised his hands to show the creature he was unarmed. "See? I'm not going to hurt you," He said soothingly. The dragon's eyes veered downward and saw that he did indeed have a weapon tied around his waist. Jack looked down at his sword and winced. With one hand still raised he brought the other had down to the string that tied the sword to his waist and untied it. The sword fell to the ground. Jack, still keeping his hand raised to show he was harmless, bent down, grabbed the sword, and tossed it to the left, out of his reach, to prove to the dragon that he would not harm it.

The Changewing's eyelids narrowed to slits as it looked over Jack, investigating his body for anymore harmful items.

With Dagur still sitting on the forest floor, the rest of us just stood in a huddled position, watching the scene unfold before our eyes.

"See? I'm not going to hurt you. You can trust me." The dragon let out what sounded like a soft purring sound and then did something that struck us all as amazing.

_No way…_

The dragon closed it's eyes and leaned it' snout into Jack's open palm.

I can't believe it. Jack, the same one who couldn't ride a dragon to save his life, had just calmed down, and trained a Changewing.

He looked back I our direction with an awestruck look on his face. Heather, still supporting my left side, let out a laugh of amazement. Once Jack saw that, his face went back to his normal expression, as if it were no big deal.

"So," he began, "need a lift?"


	8. Changing the Changewing

"Well, this is embarrassing," I mutter to myself.

"Ah come on, Hiccup. It's not that bad," said Fishlegs, trying to be optimistic about my current predicament. "Not that bad? Fishlegs, I just managed to lose my leg, again!" "Yeah," laughed Tuffnut, "now you've gotta be carried back to the village like a baby," he finished with a satisfied chuckle.

Indeed I do have to be carried back. With my one leg it would take hours to hop back home, and even with Heather and Astrid holding me up on either side I would just slow them down. What was the next best option? Being cradled like a baby in Fishlegs' arms and explain to dad about the scuffle in the woods.

"Thank you for summing that up." I let out a disgruntled sigh.

"Well Hiccup, I don't think that trip turned out all that bad," said Jack. "Because of this little adventure, I managed to catch myself my own dragon!" He and Heather were sitting on the long neck of the Changewing, riding it back into town to show that the dragon isn't a threat. Heather let out a chuckle and wrapped her arms around his waist to hold herself steady.

"Besides," Astrid started, "I'm sure Gobber will be more than happy to make you a new leg. You can just use a crutch until then." I looked down to her and saw her keeping pace with Fishlegs so she could still be next to me. "Thanks Astrid."

"Hmmmm." Astrid, Fishlegs and I looked over to Jack who seemed to be pondering to himself at the moment. "What's wrong, Jack?" Astrid asked. "I'm just thinking, now that I have my own dragon and all, what should I name her?" The dragon in question raised its head and let out a little grunt in agreement. I rubbed my chin. "Well, there are all sorts of different ways to name a dragon. You can name your dragon based off of some of their physical or personal features. For example: I named my dragon Toothless because of his ability to retract his teeth."

"Or you can be creative and make up a name that fits your dragons personality like I did with Stormfly," added Astrid.

Jack looked as though he was lost in his thoughts. He started muttering words to himself. "Physical… Personality… Teeth… Well," he raised his pointer finger, "how about Changey?"

Fishlegs, Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Dagur (who still had his hands bound together and was rewarded with a black eye from his and Jacks' fight), Snotlout and the Changewing stopped in their tracks. All of our eyes went straight to Jack in amazement. We were surprised that someone could think p of such a predictably bland name for a Changewing.

"Well," Dagur started, "I think you should take that name and shove it up your- ow!" Before he could finish, Snotlout jabbed the butt end of his ax into Dagur's back.

"I think you've still got some work to do," I said. The group let out a chorus of agreements; even 'Changey' rocked her head up and down. We continued on our path to the village.

Fifteen to twenty minute later, we reached the edge of the forest and walked into town. The sun was just starting to set over the horizon and the rest of the Vikings were settling in their homes for the night. "First let's make a stop over at Gobber's shop. I need to tell him I'm going to need a new leg." Fishlegs nodded and he carried me over to the blacksmith shop with the rest of the gang following closely behind.

We reached the front window of the shop where I used to pass the weapons I crafted to oncoming Vikings during a dragon raid and found it wide open. "Hey Gobber?" I called inside. I heard a loud clattering noise and a man's voice yelling in frustration. After the mess was picked up, the large man hobbled over to the window. "Sorry 'bout that, 'iccup, just finishing up Toothless' new tail. Now, what is it you-," He stopped in the middle of his sentence once he saw the sight before him. Me without my leg being held up by Fishlegs and Heather and Jack riding a Changewing while the rest just stood there and smiled awkwardly.

Just another normal day on Berk, right?

"Eh, do Ah want teh know?" He asked. I shrugged. "It's a long story, I'll tell you later. I wanted to stop by to tell you that I'm going to need a new leg. Think you can make one again?" He smiled. "Tis nae a problem. In tha mean time," he walked out of view and then came back with a crutch. "'Ere. Ye kin use this 'till Ah get it done for yeh. Should be done bah tomorrah." I reached out and grabbed the crutch. Fishlegs set me down and I put the crutch under my left armpit to stand up straight. "Thanks again, Gob." He gave me a wink then his gaze went to the new dragon.

"Ah see yeh made a new friend while you were at it." Jack swung his leg over the side of the Changewing's neck and dropped down to the ground. Heather reached her hands down, he grabbed them and she dropped to the ground as well. "Gobber," Jack began, "this is Changey." The blacksmith suppressed a laugh. "'Changey'? Is that really the best name ye kin come up with?" Jack snorted. "The name is still a work in progress. I'm just trying to- hey!"

Right after Jack and Heather hopped off their new friend, she turned around and made a beeline for the house behind us. She walked up to the side of it and began sniffing the ground around it, knocking over wagon-fulls of hay and barrels of water in the process. "No! No! Bad Changey!" Before Jack could reach his dragon, she began running to the house next door and sniffing the ground again.

"Whit's it daeing?" Gobber looked slightly amused by the unintentional destruction the dragon was causing while Dagur, Ruff and Tuff were having a laugh fest. "She's trying to find her egg," Astrid put in. Gobber looked back to us. "Ye didnae find it in teh woods?" We shook our heads sadly. He let out a strange sounding huff and said, "Well, Ah'm sure it's 'ere. And Ah'm also sure ye'll find it. You seem to fix everything on this Gods forsaken island anyways 'Iccup."

I heard a loud crashing sound and a scream. I adjusted myself on my crutch and saw that the dragon had just created a hole in the wall of a home, sniffing the interior while Jack and Heather were on either side of her trying to calm her down. I sighed. "Well, this is going to be fun. Let's get this thing to the academy."

_At the training arena_

"Wait, wait!" My cries were in vain as the Changewing spat out more acid on the last of our training dummies, causing it to burst into flames and melt away before our eyes. "I needed those." I grunted a small curse to myself. "Alright, I'll have to see if I can get more hay from Mulch and Bucket. Jack, can you please get her under control?" "What do you think I'm trying to do?" Jack was standing in front of the Changewing, raising his hand again to try to calm the dragon. "Jack," I called out, "remember what I said to calm a dragon?" He looked at me and nodded. He stepped around the small burning pile of hay and Outcast armor, reached his hand up under the chin of her and scratched it gently. Her eyes dilated and she let out a shriek of amusement as she fell to the floor and purred.

"Good. Now she should be calm for a while. Have you thought of a new name yet?" "Hopefully one that isn't as stupid as Changey?" Dagur asked, leaning against the stonewall. I looked over to him with a curious glint in my eyes. "Exactly why did I think it'd be alright for you to be here with us while we train?" He shrugged. "Beats the hell outa me." I leaned against my crutch and rubbed my temples. "Fishlegs, be a pal and take him to his cell please?"

"Wait, what?" Dagur's eyes widened a little. "You're throwing me in a cell while I'm here?" "Well, yeah. You are kind of a prisoner," Astrid reminded him. He began to shout out many hurtful things in our direction as Fishlegs grabbed the rope constricting his wrists and dragged him out of the arena. "Finally, we can get to work." Snotlout and the twins went home earlier, so now that just left Astrid, Heather, Jack and I to train this thing.

"Alright," I started, "I'll ask again, did you think of a different name?" Jack looked down at the dragon that was lying on the ground, purring contently. "Well, how about, Stormcry?" "Nah, too close to Stormfly," replied Astrid. Jack rubbed his chin again. "Hookfang?" "Taken," I inform him. "Smokescreen? Tailback?" "It will probably be easier to name her after some of her physical features instead." He nodded and started to walk around the dragon, observing everything about her.

"Hm, she's red, can disappear, spits acid, long claws and tail…" he trailed off. "How about Clearstar?"

At the sound of that, the dragon lifted her head and looked at Jack. He rubbed under her chin. "You like that girl? Clearstar?" The dragon snorted and she even smiled a little.

Astrid's, Heathers face and mine lit up with delight. "Well then," I began, "Clearstar it is. Now let's hurry, we've got training to do."


	9. Alone Time

Sunsets on Berk have always been quite the sight.

The sun was now setting on the western horizon, painting an intricate picture of warm yellows and oranges on the canvas that was the sky. The water reflecting the bright rays of the setting sun in bursts of white as the warm yellows and oranges were contrasting with the cold blue of the ocean waves.

It was moments like these that made Heather glad that her parents finally decided to move to Berk.

Of course, she didn't just want to come here for the spectacular scenery, she also came here to be close to her friends. She had always liked Fishlegs, who can talk for hours on end about every dragon in existence. There were the twins who never really seem to stop bickering and inflicting physical harm on one another. Snotlout, who, honestly was Heather's least favorite, always makes time to make a move on her. Astrid, the most warrior-like of all of them, but she was glad when she was around because she actually could hold up an entire conversation. And, of course, Hiccup, who helped her save her parents from the Outcasts has more than welcomed her to the island. He has done more than anyone would ever do for her, he allowed her to enter the dragon training academy, he has given her a home, and he has even given her her own dragon!

But most importantly, he has, inadvertently, given her a, well, a _special someone_.

Jack had to be one of, if not _the_ most, sensitive, caring, involving (and handsome) person she has ever met. That's not to say he wasn't a warrior at all. He's a brilliant fighter and swordsman. She saw so herself when he was fighting Dagur by himself in the woods when the Changewing was attacking. She also managed to catch a few glimpses of him holding off a few Berserker warriors during the invasion.

Yet under all of that, he was still a fantastic guy.

With the sun beginning to set and the night rolling in, she wanted to let him know that. For a while she had been a little nervous to say it to him directly and was wondering if he even felt the same way. Tonight was the night she was going to find out.

She was trudging along the street in her brown boots on her way to Jack's house. From where her new house is, he practically lives on the other side of the village. She turned the last corner of the winding dirt street and his house finally came into view. She wasted no time setting off in a beeline straight for his door, her black braided hair blowing back in the wind and bouncing on her shoulders as she ran.

She finally reached the door, took a deep breath in, raised her arm, and exhaled out.

"He's not home you know."

Her hand froze in the air once she heard the voice from behind, and she knew exactly who it was. She turned around and her suspicion was confirmed when she was faced with Astrid, who had her arms crossed over her chest and a devious smile on her face. Heather tried to make out a sentence, but her voice was caught in her throat and all that came out was a series of garbled choking noises that somehow resembled words.

"Oh… Uh, wh-….. Er, wha-, what do you m-mean? Who… Who's not home?"

Astrid's smile grew wider. "Oh come on, Heather. I know you're looking for Jack." Heather did her best to look offended. "_What_? Well I'd… What lead you to that assumption?" "Well, for starters, you were just about to knock on his front door. And I'm pretty sure you don't know his parents all that well, so I'm guessing that you weren't on your way here to make small talk with them."

Heather tried to say something back to her, but nothing had come to mind. She let out a defeated sigh.

"Is that bad, Astrid?" Astrid let out a small chuckle and motioned her to come next to her. "Let's take a walk." Astrid turned her back to her and already started walking down the dirt road. Heather was hot on her tail. She caught up to her and matched her pace so she was walking side by side with her.

"What do you think I should do, Astrid? By the looks of it, you and Hiccup have been together for a while. Am I doing anything wrong?" Astrid let out another little chuckle.

"Why do you think this is funny? I'm going to be taking a risk here and you're just laughing it up!" Astrid finished her chuckle and faced Heather. "I'm laughing because I think it's cute."

"Cute? _Cute_? You find me being emotionally afraid of something cute?" Astrid held up her hands defensively. "I did not once say that. What I think is cute is how much you're overreacting."

Heather craned her head so she was now facing Astrid. "What do you mean?"

"Listen Sis," Astrid started, "I've seen the way you look at Jack, and I've also seen the way he looks back at you. In terms of whether or not he likes you, you've got nothing to worry about." Heather's heart almost skipped a beat. "Y-you mean you think he," "I know he does, Heather. You're just over thinking the entire thing."

Heather's eyebrows began to crinkle. "I'm not sure if I understand what you're trying to say." "Oh for the love of- do I have to draw you a picture? You like him. He clearly likes you. There's nothing to think about!" Astrid could almost see the information sinking into her head before her very eyes.

"Well, if you're positive that he likes me, then I'll just go up to him and tell him how I feel."

"No."

Heather turned her head and was looking at Astrid again. "What? But didn't you just say-". "I said that I'm sure that he likes you. But if you're still unsure about it, then it is your womanly duty to make him say it." Heather giggled at that comment. "I think I understand what you're saying now. Thank you." With that, she practically threw herself into Astrid's arms in a massive hug. "No problem." The let go and stepped away from each other. Then another question sparked in Heather's head.

"If you said Jack's not home, then where is he?" Astrid smiled again. "He's over in the dragon training arena with Clearstar. Go get 'im."

_Meanwhile_

After dragon training that day, Jack stayed alone in the arena with Clearstar. He wanted to get more training in with her since he's had her for a week now. He's covered the basics in dragon training, such as mounting the dragon and keeping stability while airborne, now Jack wants to work on more advanced tricks: hand signals.

"Alright Clearstar, just like we practiced." The dragon bobbed her head up and down excitedly.

Jack put both of his hands together tightly to his chest and inhaled deeply. As he exhaled he waved his hands horizontally to his side. The Changewing saw these movements, analyzed them, and she remembered what it was that she was taught to do when his arms move like that.

In the blink of an eye Clearstar was gone, her body and image rippling and fusing with the cool tone of the stone wall, causing her to become invisible. With her now completely out of view, Jack, trusting that his dragon was still watching him, turned his right hand into a fist, raised his index finger, twirled it in the air three times then smashed his fist into his left palm. Not five seconds later, an Outcast dummy on the other side of the arena was seen floating in the air and was chucked straight into the wall with a hard _crack_.

Jack let his arms fall to his sides as he saw his new friend shimmer back into view standing over the remains of the dummy with a satisfied smile.

"Great job, girl," he said as he reached into his backpack and picked out a fish and threw it over to her to show her how much of a good job she had just done. The Changewing walked over, scooped the fish up into her long mouth and swallowed it whole. Jack walked up to Clearstar and began to rub her snout good-naturedly, then he heard something.

_Clap clap clap_

His eyebrows raised and he was startled for an instant. His eyes shot over to the direction where the noise was coming from and saw a familiar figure standing in the entrance way.

Heather just stood there and was nonchalantly clapping her hands with a teasing smile on her face. "Well done. Well done you two." Jack smiled at her and took a sarcastic bow in her direction. She began walking over towards him.

"How long have you been working on that with her?" Jack cleared his throat. "This morning. After training was done I stayed behind to work on it some more with her. She's made some excellent progress." "I can see that." By this point, the two of them were standing side by side watching as Clearstar was crawling around the arena floor, sniffing the ground and flipping over carts that were holding shields and letting them spill onto the cold stone floor.

Heather's face grew a confused expression. "Um, what exactly is she doing?" Jack's face lost his smile and he let out a long sigh. "She's still looking for her egg." Heather let out a tiny gasp. "That's right. I forgot it's still out there." He nodded.

"Sometimes at night I can hear her outside whimpering and howling and I know that she is still trying to find it. She's just a mom looking for her little baby." "That is so sad," Heather said with her hands cupped over her mouth. There was a long moment of silence as the two of them watched as Clearstar was still thoroughly searching the arena for any signs of her long lost egg.

Jack cleared his throat, "Well, if you came all the way out here, then I'm assuming that you're looking for Hiccup. I think that he and Toothless went to pick up his new leg and tail fin over at Gobber's." Heather shook her head. "Actually, I came looking for you." Jack's tan face seemed to be replaced with a bright red one. "You… you did?" Heather nodded and she suddenly remembered what Astrid had told her earlier: _"But if you're still unsure about it, then it is your womanly duty to make him say it."_

Heather quickly formulated a plan in her head. First she would tease him, make him believe that she is about to say something that could begin their relationship, then after that, she would say good night and leave, causing him to stop her and make him tell her how-

What was she doing?! She's not that mean, is she? Putting Jack through some emotional torture just to make him admit that he likes her? No, there has to be a better way to approach this.

And there is…

After what felt like an hour of silence between the two, she let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding and opened her mouth to let out her heartfelt thoughts…

Then she was interrupted by Jack.

"I like you Heather."

She stopped dead in her tracks and just stared at him blankly. "You, you what?" She asked in disbelief. Jack's shoulders slumped and he let out a loud, frustrated growl. "I screwed that up didn't I? You were just about to say something and I just interrupt you with something that outrageous. I'm, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm just, I'll just go, then," he said in a defeated tone.

"Wait!" Before he even took his first step, Heather held her arms out in front of her. "I was just wondering… What is it _exactly_ that you like about me?" She asked hopefully. Jack looked bewildered by the question. "'What do I like about y-'what isn't there to like? You're so pretty, you're smart, you're brave, Heather, you are the one who taught me how to ride a dragon!" Heather began to blush.

"Oh, it's not that big a deal. You would have learned how to ride a dragon sooner or later with or without my help." "But it was with your help that I can ride one now, and I'm so thankful for that." She stared at him in upmost disbelief. She had walked all the way to the arena to tell him how she felt, and now here he was just spilling his heart out in front of her.

That's another thing she loved about him: he was always honest.

Jack ended his rambling and let out another sigh. "I'm just making a fool out of myself, aren't I?"

Heather was snapped out of her thought and brought back into reality. "What? No! You're not making a fool of yourself! In fact, I came all the way over here to tell you how I felt!" Jack's eyes widened. "Well, how d-do you feel? About me?"

Heather brought her forefinger and thumb up to her chin and pursed her lips in a quizzical expression. "Well, for starters…"

She reached up, grabbed Jack's shoulders, pulled him down to her face level and pressed her mouth against his. Jack, caught off guard by the sudden action, widened his eyes to the size of a grape fruit and his hands were left hovering just over his side.

In that single moment which felt like an eternity, Jack felt something spark inside of him. It was a feeling he has never felt before. It was so new that he couldn't think of a word to describe it.

But he liked it. He liked it very much.

After a few seconds he brought his hands back up, cupped them around the bottom of her face and gave into the kiss. The scent of lavender rose into his nostrils and her lips tasted sweeter than a piece of candy.

After another long moment, they released each other and stood facing one another, both breathless. Jack stared down at her, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Heather looked up at him with a slightly embarrassed smile. The two of them just stood there in complete silence until Jack finally came up with something to say:

"Wow."

Granted it wasn't the smartest thing to say after a moment like that, but it was still something.

"So… That's how you feel about me?" Heather looked him in the eyes and nodded. Jack's mind was so frazzled he wasn't even sure if he could see straight. He made sure that the next thing that came out of his love-struck mouth wasn't as stupid this time, but he had little success.

"So, if I like you, and you say you like me now, does, does that mean we're, you know, dating?"

Heather giggled and wrapped her hands around his. "Why don't you kiss me again and find out?" She asked teasingly.

Jack smiled and leaned down. But before their lips made contact, a loud, squeaky and shrill voice interrupted them.

Jack, Heather and Clearstar all turned their heads to the opening of the arena doors and saw Fishlegs running to them as fast as his small legs could carry his hulking body.

"Jack! Heather!" He panted. He ran until he was face to face with them, then he rested his hands on his knees and took in deep breaths. "Hic-Hiccup wanted me…. To get.. You guys… We're in trouble!"

"Whoa, slow down there, bud," Said Jack. "Start from the beginning, what's wrong?"

"It's Dagur! He's escaped!"


	10. The Escapee

Class today went pretty well. We weren't focusing on flying tactics or learning to fly in formation or anything we normally work on as a class. Today was meant to help Jack become better accumulated with Clearstar.

Now Toothless is the greatest friend I could have ever asked for. Back when I was the village weakling and nobody wanted anything to do with me, Toothless was always there to cheer me up (even if he was kind of stuck there since I shot him out of the sky, but he doesn't hold it against me… I hope). But now with the dragons living among us, I am glad to see how close everyone has grown to their own dragon. Astrid and Stormfly are inseparable, Barf, Belch and the twins go together perfectly, Hookfang and Snotlout share the same personality, and Meatlug and Fishlegs almost share one brain.

It always feels good to see a dragon and human getting along so well.

And Jack and Clearstar are no exception.

The two of them have grown remarkably close to each other since he managed to train her just a few short weeks ago. He has managed to train her to turn invisible and fire rapid acid bursts whenever he tells her to. And yet, they share an unbreakable bond with one another that Toothless and I share with each other. Deep down, I feel great knowing that I had helped make Jack feel so happy.

And yet, there is one thought that stays in the back of my mind. It has been there since the day we found Clearstar.

_The egg._

Her egg is still lost in the woods somewhere; cold, unprotected, unsheltered, and exposed to the elements. What if we don't find it in time? What if it freezes to death? I would never forgive myself if that were to happen.

But this question has been stuck in my brain for a little while now…

_If we do find the egg, what will Clearstar do? _

She is a mother and her instincts will surely kick in the moment she finds it. She has a nest on her island, she has resources for taking care of her baby. Once she finds the egg, what if she leaves the island with her baby and never comes back? Jack would be shattered if that were the case.

I have been meaning to talk to him about that. About how if we find the egg, she will have to choose between Jack and her baby. Inside, I'm pretty sure I know what the answer is. I want to tell this to Jack, but I can't. He's so happy now and so full of excitement. I can't just crush his spirit with this sudden reality check, can I?

Well, I suppose we'll have to cross that bridge when we get there.

In the meantime, it's getting late. I looked up into the sky and saw the sun beginning to slowly set over the water. I dismissed the class and they all flew out of the arena in a heartbeat: except for Jack. He wanted to stay a little longer so he and Clearstar could privately train. I allowed him to.

Leaning on my crutch I hobbled over to Toothless who was sitting by the wall of the arena patiently. I looped the crutch over my shoulder, reached my arms over his back and pulled myself up so my right leg was in the stirrup and my left stump was just resting on the side. Without my prosthetic and Toothless' tailfin, we can't fly back to town. We're going to have to walk. Er, um, _he's_ going to have to walk that is.

Toothless began to walk over to the exit and I turned my head to look behind my shoulder as Jack was dragging out more and more Outcast dummies for Clearstar. I closed my eyes and sighed.

_Cherish your time with her._

The second Toothless' paw touched the grass he was already in a sprint. He breathed heavily as the forest flew by us in a blur of brown and green. With the wind blowing in my face and the feel of Toothless' back rising and falling made me feel as if we were flying, but it still wasn't the same. We were land locked and unable to take to the sky. But we'll have more than enough time for flying tomorrow.

Gobber had promised me he'd have my leg and Toothless' tailfin finished this afternoon. All that stood between me and my leg was a peaceful stroll through the woods with my best friend. It doesn't sound so bad now that I think of it that way.

Now just walking from the arena back to town is a good forty-five minute walk. But Toothless managed to compress that trip to five minutes. We burst through the last layer of foliage and were now running along the street towards the blacksmith shop.

Once the building came into view Toothless skidded to a halt on the gravel street, leaving a cloud of dust lingering by his feet. He came to a halt right at the entrance. "Great job, bud," I say as I pat him on his head, he let out a purr in reply. I un-looped the crutch from my shoulder, swung my left leg over the side, and carefully dropped to the ground. I put the crutch in position under my left armpit and hopped to the front door.

Before I could raise my hand to knock on the wooden surface, the door swung open, revealing the face of a man who looked very proud of himself with his overly long, braided mustache dangling on both sides of his face. "Ah though' Ah heard ye comin'. Ah assume ye're 'ere for yer leg?" "And the tailfin." "Of course! Ye didnae think Ah'd ferget 'bout Toothless' tael, did ye?" I let out a little chuckle. "No. I suppose you wouldn't forget. Stay here bud. I'll be out in a minute." The Night Fury snorted and shook his head in reply.

Gobber lead me into the shop and gestured for me to have a seat on a stool placed in the center of the room, surrounded by all the weapons and gadgets I've made throughout the years I've been his apprentice. "Alright," he said quickly under his breath as he walked around a corner and out of view. "Ah know Ah left it round 'ere someplace… Aha!" My eyes widened as I heard his sudden cry of triumph. He came walking back around the corner with a familiar rectangular piece of wood in his hand.

He walked over to me and held out his hand, waiting for me to give him back the crutch. "Ah'll trade ye," he said jokingly. I handed him the crutch, which he grabbed by hooking his left prosthetic hand under the cushion, and he held out my new leg. I grabbed it, looked it over to make sure everything was just the way they were on my other leg.

Once I gave it the all clear, I rolled up my left pant leg, placed the prosthetic accordingly to my stump, held it steady and pulled the straps to safely secure it. I gave one last tug and looked down at it approvingly. I let my leg fall to the ground with a satisfying _clack _and tried to push myself up from the stool.

The moment I left the seat my left knee buckled under the sudden weight and I violently dropped to the ground. "Whoop! Careful there, 'iccup. Ye need tae get used tae supporting ye'r own weight on that thing agaein." He reached down, wrapped his massive hand around my skinny arm and helped me back to my feet. "Thanks Gobber."

Once I had my footing back I took a deep breath in and stepped my left foot forward. I transferred most of my weight to the prosthetic and lifted my right foot up to step forward. My weight shifted suddenly and my body was wobbling from side to side. I managed to get my right foot back to the ground in time to catch myself as Gobber held his hands out in case he needed to catch me.

I took one shaky step forward, then another. Then I took another step forward with only a mild shift in balance. A few minutes later, I'm walking freely again. I let out a triumphant chuckle and looked down at my new appendage. "Whit did Ah tell ye?" I looked behind me and saw Gobber's face in a big smile which I happily returned. "Thank you, Gobber. You have no idea how much I- how much _we_ appreciate this," I said gesturing over to the window which Toothless was eagerly looking through.

"It's nae a problem, lad. Jist remember, if ye ever need aenother limb, don't ever hesitate tae come here and ask." My eyebrows knitted. "I'll, uh, keep that in mind. Now," I cleared my throat, "how about Toothless' new tailfin?" Gobber sniffed and walked in the opposite direction and disappeared behind the same corner. After a few grunts and snorts I finally heard him cry out in triumph yet again as he came back around the corner with a big red fabric resting in his hands. "Ah believe Ah've made it tae yer liking."

A grabbed the fabric from his hands, unfolded it, and a familiar red tailfin decorated with a white skull staring back at me. I turned back over to Toothless, who was still peering at me from the customer window anxiously. I held it up for him to see. "What do you think bud? Does it look good?" The large black creature bounded off his hind legs and began jumping in circles on the dirt road. "I'll take that as a yes. Stay there, I'll come out and put it on."

Before I left, I looked over in Gobber's direction and smiled. "Thanks again, Gob." He saluted me with his hook hand and smiled.

I walked out the doors and approached the overly excited dragon. He was bouncing happily once his eyes caught the red tailfin. "Settle down! Settle down, bud." I put my hand up and calmly talked to him. "Let me just reattach this baby and we can go flying. How does that sound?" He gave me his famous smile and snorted again. He hooked his tail around so the end was laying at my feet.

I knelt down, slipped the end of his tail into the grove of the tailfin, wrapped the buckles securely around, and stood back up to look it over. Toothless lifted the tail so it was at his eye level and looked it over carefully.

"Well, what do you think? Does it feel normal?" His reply consisted of plowing me to the dirt and repeatedly licking my face. "Alright! Alright!" I laughed, trying to push him off. Once his paw left my chest I stood back up and laid my hand on his snout. "I know bud. It feels good to be whole again, doesn't it?" I looked down at my prosthetic and gave it a little shake for emphasis.

"Now, how about we go for a little ride before nighttime? How does that sound?" He lowered his head and began to shift excitedly from paw to paw. "That's what I thought. Now let's-"

"HICCUP!"

The smile on my face vanished as the sound of a loud, squeaky, and frightened voice reached my ears.

I whipped myself around and saw Fishlegs running at me at full speed. "Whoa, whoa whoa there! Fishlegs stop!" Before he could stop his large hulking body crashed into me and we both fell unceremoniously to the gravel road.

"Sorry Hiccup," he said as he picked himself off the ground, dusting off his fur vest then helping me back to my feet. "It's ok," I said as I began to brush off the dust from my vest too. "Just be careful next time. Now what was it you needed?"

Still out of breath from his run over here he bent down and held his hands on his knees for support as he heavily and greedily breathed in and out. "It's terrible, Hiccup! I still don't believe it! My-my Gods this could spell out disaster for the entire island!"

"Fishlegs!" I yelled. "What is it you are talking about? You've got to slow down." He nodded his head quickly up and down as he got his breath under control.

"It's Dagur, Hiccup. He's not in his cell!" My eyes widened and I could feel my pupils shrink to the size of the eye of a needle. "What do you mean 'not in his cell'"?

"Well," he started, "I went up to where we keep our prisoners to check up on him, but he wasn't there! His cell was empty!" "Ok, um, let me think here for a second. When you took him to his cell last time, did you take away _everything_ he could have used to escape?" "Well," he brought his hand to his chin, "I took away the knives he had in his pockets and put his bow and arrows where he couldn't reach them."

"Did he keep anything else?" "Well, he was wearing his warrior helmet at the time." I stared at the large teen for a moment before I found my voice. "You left him with a sharp object that could be used for lock picking, willingly?" He scratched his head. "That does seem pretty obvious now. Are you mad?" In all honesty, anger and rage was building up inside me right now, but unleashing it all at Fishlegs would accomplish nothing." It doesn't matter now. What we need to do is find him before he leaves the island!"

"Wait, why don't we just let him leave? He'd be out of our hands then." "Because he's the only other one on the island besides me who even remotely knows where the egg landed! We still need his help." Fishlegs stood up straighter and took a deep calming breath. "What do you need me to do?" "Go get Jack and meet me over at his cell. I'll get Astrid." "Do you want me to get Snotlout and the twins too?" "I don't think we need them around in this case." Fishlegs raised his finger. "Good point. Alright. Jack and I will meet you at the cell!" With that, he ran off in the direction of the dragon arena and disappeared into the forest.

I looked down to Toothless. "Sorry bud, looks like that fly will have to wait. Let's go get Astrid."

_Later_

"So, let me get this straight," said Astrid, rubbing her temples, "you left Dagur, a psychotic, yet resourceful teenager in a locked room with a sharp enough object to pick the lock, and you don't even think about it?!" Her voice echoed through the empty halls of Berk's scarcely used dungeon and rang deafeningly in all our ears.

"It's bad enough that we're in this situation, but do you really have to go and h-hurt my feelings like that?" Fishlegs began to tremble and whimper. Astrid let out a small sigh. "Look, what happened, happened," Jack said with both hands raised as he was standing next to Heather (who was with Jack in the arena at the time according to Fishlegs), "there's no use playing the blame game. We have to find him."

"He's right," I spoke up, "what's important now is that we keep calm and find him. Now, there's only one way out of here, let's get to the entrance and see if we can find any clues as to where he went." Astrid, Fishlegs, Jack and Heather all nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's go."

We walked down the long corridor, passing empty cell after empty cell as our footsteps silently echoed throughout the halls. We never really had prisoners. Back in the day, our biggest enemies were the dragons. But we had built a dungeon in case we ever needed one.

And wouldn't you guess it? It turns out we really did need it.

The door leading outside was right up ahead. I reached my hand out and grasped the knob. "Alright, we'll start our search in town. After that we'll break into groups and search- oh man." As I opened the door, three faces were staring back at us.

"Snotlout? Ruff? Tuff? How did you guys know we were in here?" Heather asked curiously. "We heard Astrid yelling and followed the sound over here. We figured you were torturing Dagur. We wanted in!" Tuffnut exclaimed, pounding his fist in his open hand.

"Well, you wasted your time," I began. "Dagur escaped. Now we've got to look for him. And since you three are here, you might as well help us look." Snotlout put on his best angry face and smacked Tuffnut on the back of his head. "I told you this was a bad idea! Now we actually have to do work!" "Just shut up and come with us," Astrid demanded as the five of us stepped outside.

It was now nighttime and the sky was now covered in a giant black and blue coat with thousands of stars poking out of it.

"Hey, what's with the super soldier here?" Snotlout gestured to Jack, who was indeed dressed as if he were walking straight into battle. A shield hung on his back and he was holding a sword in his right hand and a bow in the left. Multiple arrows rested in a quiver hanging from his belt. "We are going against a mad man here. I have to be prepared for anything he throws at me." Snotlout quickly lost interest and continued walking forward with our group.

I lead the group to the center of the village and we stopped and formed a circle. "Alright, here's what we're going to do; first we search town. Look over and under anything you can. After that, we're going to split up and-" "Does anyone else smell that?" Ruffnut chimed in. I sighed. "Smell what, Ruffnut?"

She pointed her nose in the air and took in multiple wiffs through her nostrils. "It smells like… Something burning." Tuffnut's nose twitched shortly afterward. "I smell it too."

"Call me crazy, but I smell it too," Jack said. "So do I," added Heather. "Um, Hiccup?" Astrid tapped my shoulder and pointed to the top of a hill that lead to even more houses, but she wasn't just pointing to the hill. Over the crest of gravel road, out of my field of vision, there was a bright light flickering just over yonder. And the smell of a large bonfire finally worked their way into my nostrils as well.

Over the hill the light grew brighter and brighter until an object finally crested over the hill. It appeared to be a large wagon with large bales of hay on it, but those particular hay bales were on fire. And the wagon was rocketing right at us.

"Uh, guys," Tuffnut said, "I think I found him."


	11. Dagur's Last Stand

The wagon of flaming bales of hay plummeted down the hill at ramming speed. Tiny sparks and embers flew from the hay and danced like fireflies until they vanished into the night. Plumes of smoke swirled and dissipated as the wagon quickly made its way downhill and to our current position at the bottom in the center of town. "Look out!" I quickly grabbed Astrid's shoulder and jumped backwards with Jack and Heather following suit.

We each landed on our backs with a hard _thud_ on the rough gravel road while Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins stepping backwards and falling as well as the out of control flaming wagon sped between us and crashed head on into a bakery. The wagon (which was structurally unsound due to the flames) crumpled against the wall on impact and sent the flaming hay bales in through the gaping receiver window. Within seconds the fire spread from the hay to the walls and equipment in the store, eating and biting and nipping at whatever it could get its hot fingers on.

As we each got back onto our feet, my eyes darted over to Fishlegs and the others. "Go get the buckets! Don't let the fire spread anywhere else!" The four of them nodded and ran in the opposite direction without question.

"What about us? What do we do?" I turned and met Heather's worry filled eyes. "They'll take care of the fire. Right now, we've gotta take care of Da-", "Watch out!" In an instant Jack jumped in front of me, shield in hand and raised in front of his face and made a solid stance in the dirt with his feet. Before I could question what he was doing I heard a blunt _thud _and Jack almost lost his balance. My eyes widened as I saw the tip of an arrow jut itself through the wooden shield, stopping inches away from Jack's face.

He lowered the shield and the shooter came into view.

Standing at the top of the hill was Dagur with a bow in one hand and the other raised so it was hovering right beside his cheek as if he had just fired an arrow (which he had). On his belt was a sword resting in its sheath and a quiver that showed absolutely no shortage of arrows. He lowered his bow slowly and a smirk slowly grew on his face. "That'll certainly teach you to keep Dagur the Deranged in some bloody prison cell, won't it?"

I could feel anger boiling up inside the pit of my stomach. Was this lunatic going to burn down the entire village?! In front of me I could see Jack's back rising and falling as he took in deep, deep breaths of sheer hatred for this man. "Alright guys," I started, "we need a plan of attack- Jack?" Before I could finish, Jack was already running up the hill in his direction. "Jack, wait! Y-you can't just," I didn't even bother finishing my plea, he didn't look like he was ready to be reasoned with.

He was already half way up the hill but I could hear him gasping out words in between breaths. I couldn't make out what he was fully saying, all I could comprehend was "Could have killed her," and "Won't touch Heather." I looked over to Heather, who had her hands cupped over her mouth as she watched Jack run up the hill.

Dagur, still standing at the top of the hill laid his eyes on the Viking teen advancing towards him and his smirk grew wider. He reached down, pulled another arrow from his quiver, knocked it in his bow and aimed it straight at Jack. He pulled the string back as far as he could draw it and let go. The arrow zipped through the air straight for him. Jack managed to raise his shield in time and the arrow dug itself into the shield. It wasn't another a full five seconds before Dagur launched another arrow in Jack's direction, which he also caught with the shield.

Jack finally reached the top of the hill and rammed the entire shield into Dagur's chest, the latter of which took a few staggering steps back before regaining his balance. Once he regained his footing, he looked straight ahead at Jack, who was now panting heavily from running all the way up the hill with all the energy he could muster. Dagur spat and slung his bow over his shoulder, then drew his sword and pointed the tip directly at Jack's heart. "I managed to snag back my things from the blacksmith's. You ready for a rematch, pretty boy?" Jack stared through squinted eyelids at the teen as he too unsheathed his sword. Dagur started to chuckle. "Is that a yes, then?"

Jack sprang off of his feet in a heartbeat and raised his sword above his head in an attempt to strike Dagur's head. Dagur's eyes widened as he raised his sword and caught Jack's blade. The two stared each other down for what felt like an eternity. "What do you think?" Jack growled. Dagur pushed away from Jack and swung at his side and the two began their rematch.

At the bottom of the hill, Heather, Astrid and I were watching with open mouths as the two began to mercilessly strike, pound and slice each other. We kept watching until their bodies disappeared over the crest of the hill. If it weren't for Astrid speaking up, I probably would have stayed in that same spot for the remainder of the fight. "What are we doing? We have to help him, don't we? Come on!" I shook my head a few times to get myself out of my dazed state and looked at Heather and Astrid. "Uh, yeah! Yeah, let's go." They both nodded and began running uphill to the battling teens. I took a deep breath in and quickly followed them.

From the corner of my eye I could see Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut with buckets of water in their hands and running straight for the fire. A part of me wanted to stay behind and help them, but I needed to help Jack at the moment. Besides, it's not like they can't handle a fire by themselves, right?

We reached the top of the hill with all air depleted from our lungs. I watched as Jack swung his sword and aimed it at Dagur's side. He managed to parry the blow and raised his sword over his head. Jack raised his shield and blocked the sword, but the force of the hit made him fall to his knees. Dagur raised his sword again and brought it down once more onto the shield. He did this again and again until Jack was laying on the ground with his shield raised over his body to protect himself.

Dagur was so wrapped up in mindlessly hitting Jack's shield that he didn't even notice Astrid leave my side and bolt into the action. Dagur raised his sword one more time, but this time he was interrupted by Astrid as she tackled him to the ground, causing him to drop his sword and having it drop harmlessly to the ground next to Jack, who was lying breathlessly on the ground with his shield on his chest.

Astrid and Dagur rolled to a stop about seven feet away from Jack. Dagur pushed off Astrid and shot up to his feet in a fighting stance with Astrid following his lead. The two just stood there, bouncing on the balls of their feet with fists raised and ready to beat down. Heather and I wasted no time getting to Jack's side. I grabbed the shield and tossed it away and grabbed his left arm while Heather got his right and we hefted him off the ground.

Once he was steady on his feet, Heather jumped in front of him, grabbed his face with her hands and started looking for any scars or scratches or cuts. "Don't worry, I'm fine, I'm fine, just got the wind knocked out of me is all," he reassured, but Heather continued looking anyway. Once she confirmed that he was indeed fine, she pulled him into a tight hug that probably knocked more air out of him. I couldn't help but smile as I watched Heather envelope herself in Jack's arms, but my smile faded as quickly as it appeared once I remembered the events that were happening just a few feet in front of us. Jack and Heather broke apart and their eyes were brought to Dagur's and Astrid's little sparring session.

Dagur swung his arm wide, aiming his fist for Astrid's face, but she ducked and stepped to the left, avoiding his haymaker. It seems that that was what Dagur was anticipating because he raised his foot and pushed it directly into Astrid's stomach. Astrid, however, stuck out her rear, absorbing the blow and grabbed his foot with both hands. She gave the foot a sharp tug and Dagur was pulled forward. His neck collided with Astrid's outstretched arm, severely clotheslining him and sending him sprawling to the dirt. She turned around to face him as he was lying on the ground. Then she walked up and raised her foot over his face. Dagur rolled out of the way as she stomped it on the ground where his face had previously been.

He quickly stopped rolling and picked himself up into a kneeling position. His eyelids narrowed as he stared at her. Then he reached into a hidden pocket inside of his vest and looped his fingers into three ring looking objects. My eyes widened in horror once I saw what he was reaching for:

Throwing knives.

With a flick of his wrist he sent the sharp objects flying in her direction. Her eyes went wide and she quickly jumped and rolled to the side, barely avoiding the sharp tips of the knives. The knives, missing their intended target then dug their selves into the outer walls of a hut that I instantly recognized as Mulch and Bucket's home.

Astrid, repositioning herself after she rolled away from the knives then faced Dagur and took off in a fast sprint.

Dagur dug his feet into the ground as he anticipated Astrid's next move. The Viking warrior let out one of her famous war cries (Gods I love it when she does that), jumped in the air, and positioned her foot so that it was on a collision course with Dagur's chest. At the last second, Dagur stepped to the side, allowing her boot to miss its target. He then raised both hands, wrapped them around her foot and leg, spun on his heal, and threw her unceremoniously to the ground. She hugged her arms tight to her body as she went rolling on the hard gravel, creating gashes and cuts on her arms and face as she went.

I felt as though my legs were suddenly filled with concrete because I couldn't find myself to move from the spot I had been standing in for the duration of the fight. Seeing Astrid shivering and holding herself tightly on the ground before him, Dagur unsheathed another knife that was resting in its holster on his right thigh and lunged for her. She turned herself over and caught Dagur's arm before he could stab it through her skull. He landed on top of her, pinning her to the ground and attempted to bring the sharp tip of his blade into her face.

She wrapped both hands around his wrist and pushed against the full weight of his force, trying to keep the knife as far away from her face as she possibly could. Her arms burning as she kept his blade at bay.

My heart beating louder than a drum, I brought my hands up to my hair and grasped into it tightly. I watched in horror with Jack being supported by Heather on my side. Fearing that my interference would cost Astrid her life, I stayed where I was.

As I watched Astrid fight against Dagur's blade, an earsplitting noise erupted from the darkness. I let go of my hair and turned in the direction the sound came from.

Leaping and running and lunging down a nearby hill as fast as it could, a large, long, black figure materialized from the darkness and let out another loud roar. Dagur's grip on his knife loosened as he saw Toothless barreling towards him. He faced the dragon with wide eyes and an open mouth full of fear.

"Toothless!" I cried out in joy. Fully engrossed in what was going on in front of him, my dragon paid no attention to me. Instead, he turned around and flicked his tail directly into Dagur's side, sending him flying off of Astrid and rolling on the ground to a sudden halt with his knife still grasped in his hand.

Finally seeing my chance, I ran straight for Astrid, who was now dizzily coming to her feet. "Oh Gods! Astrid, are… are you ok?" She simply waved off my concern and raised herself onto both feet while resting her hands on her knees in an attempt to catch her breath. "I'm all good. I'm fine… No thanks to you though," she said with a dry laugh. I let out a sigh of relief and my attention was turned to Toothless, who was standing right by our side. I came up to him and immediately wrapped my arms around his neck. Astrid came up beside me and hugged him tightly too.

"Thank you, Toothless," Astrid said breathlessly. We both let him go at the same time and we stood across from each other. "Where have you been, bud?" Toothless snorted and turned his head around. My eyebrows knitted and Astrid and I followed his gaze.

From over the hill where Toothless came from came the sound of large, flapping wings. My eyes widened as a familiar red dragon with a specifically long neck and triangular head flew into view. "Clearstar!" Jack called out.

Clearstar landed softly on the ground by Toothless and shook her head and grunted. Jack whistled and Clearstar's head quickly turned to his direction, giving him her full attention. Jack raised his hand and pointed to Dagur, who was now shakily rising to his feet. Clearstar growled. To gain her attention again Jack let out another whistle and began performing odd hand signals. First he waved both hands horizontally to his side, then he raised his pointer finger in the air, twirled in around three times and then sent his fist slamming into his open palm.

Clearstar, closely watching his movements, let out a snort, closed her eyes and disappeared.

Astrid, Dagur and I stared at Jack in confusion, except for Heather, who had a wide smirk growing on her face. "Um, was that supposed to do something?" Dagur asked, still staring in Jack's direction. Then, Dagur was lifted in the air by an invisible force and his body was being shaken violently. He let out a series of choppy, incomprehensible screams as the invisible dragon shook him from side to side at the speed of light.

I looked at Jack and let out a short laugh. "I taught her that," he confirmed with the similar expression of Heather's on his face.

Dagur, still suspended in the air, was then thrown straight into the wall of Mulch and Bucket's home with a sickening _crunch _and fell to the ground.

Jack let his hands fall to his sides and let out a long breath. "Great job, girl." Clearstar reappeared a few feet in front of Jack with her head eye-level with his and was wearing a pretty large smile on her face. Jack placed his hand on her snout and began rubbing the area around it gently. "Go ahead and wait for me back home. We've gotta take care of something here." The Changewing blinked, unfurled her wings and took to the sky, disappearing in the darkness.

"That's a pretty cool trick you taught her, Jack," Astrid complimented. He shrugged. "Worked on it all afternoon." "Great job nonetheless," I said. "Alright, we've gotta get Dagur back to his cell, then we should check on the others and see how they're doing with the fi-".

_WHOOSH _

I ducked quickly as I felt a rush of air pass over my head. Immediately after I ducked, I heard a loud _thud. _I looked behind me and found another throwing knife had dug itself into the side of another nearby home.

With wide eyes I turned in the direction the knife came from and found Dagur back on his feet with his hand out in front of him, staring through squinted eyelids directly into my soul. Toothless' nose crinkled and he let out a deep growl. Dagur's attention then turned on the Night Fury. "You wanna go, big boy? Come on," he said under his breath.

Immediately after he had said that, Dagur raised his knife and charged Toothless, letting out a large war cry as he ran. Toothless inched closer to Dagur as he charged. "No! Toothless, don't!" Before the two of them collided, a wide, blue object landed right in between the two, but it was facing Dagur. I looked up and saw that the large obstruction had a rider. Not quite as big as the blue dragon, but a large man all the same. Dagur slid to an immediate stop, looking up at my dad with horror filled eyes.

"Thornado, thunder burst!" The Thunderdrum responded by letting a loud, quick but thick shockwave escape from its mouth and hit Dagur squarely in the chest. The young warrior was sent flying backwards, arms and legs flailing in every direction as he crashed into Mulch and Bucket's wall, bursting through it, sailed through their living room and crashed through the back wall and was sent sprawling into their backyard.

All of our eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets once our brains were finally able to process what it was we had just seen. Our eyes were glued on the holes in the front and back of Mulch and Bucket's home as my dad hopped off of Thornado, patting him on his broad head. "Good work. Head on home. I'll be there shortly." The Thunderdrum snorted, flapped its mighty wings and took to the sky, heading back home. Dad's eyes turned to my direction.

"Is everyone alright? Where are the others?" I cleared my throat. "Well, Dagur escaped, then," "I can see that he escaped! Just tell me what happened afterwards." "Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs and Snotlout are down there putting out a fire that Dagur started. Then Astrid, Jack, Heather and I chased after him and tried to bring him back ourselves," I explained. My dad sighed and rubbed his temples. "You should have come to get me son. I could have helped you." Feeling that my dad was once again disappointed in me, I sighed and hung my head down.

"Mr. Haddock, if I may?" All eyes turned to Heather after she spoke up. My dad stared at her and nodded. "Well, I've heard about you trying to teach Hiccup how to become a good leader so he can become chief one day, and, well, that's exactly what he did." She paused and then smiled at me. "He took charge of the situation and he did so without a moment's hesitation. If anything, you should be proud of him."

The large chief scratched his chin and nodded. He looked to Astrid then to Jack. "Is this true?" "Absolutely, sir," Astrid said. Dad put his hands on his hips and looked around. "Well, by the looks of it, the lot of you are still in one piece, and there appears to be very little damage. Nothing that we can't repair anyways. I suppose you're right." My eyes widened a little bit. "Well done son. I can tell you're going to make a great chief one day."

I smiled and Astrid nudged my shoulder playfully.

"Now, let's get Dagur back to his. . . YAARGH!"

Heather, Astrid, Jack and I Jumped noticeably as my dad let out a long, loud, billowing cry of pain. Dad fell to one knee and raised his right hand to grasp his left shoulder. My eyes almost bugged out again as I saw the cause of his cry of agony.

Protruding from his left shoulder was a three foot long arrow.

I looked in the direction the arrow came from and my heart sank to my stomach.

Standing through the hole leading to Mulch's backyard was Dagur, proudly holding his bow out in front of him, smiling sinisterly. My dad rose to his feet, clenched his fists and craned his head To Dagur's direction. Dagur didn't waste time as he took another arrow from his quiver and knocked it in his bow. My dad took a fighting stance, getting ready to take the blow of another arrow, but then his eyebrows knitted once he realized that the arrow wasn't being pointed at him.

Dad followed where the tip of the arrow was pointing and let out a small gasp. My eyes widened even further as I too found Dagur's target. The point of his arrow was pointed directly at a familiar dark figure standing between him and my dad.

He was aiming at Toothless.

My dad was the first to react. He bolted from where he was standing, scooped up the shield that I had thrown to the ground earlier and ran for Toothless. I looked back at Dagur and the arrow that was held in the bow and I noticed something odd about it. The tip of his arrow wasn't sharp or had a point sharp enough to bury itself even in wood. No, this arrow was definitely modified. The tip of the arrow almost had a soft and smooth texture to it.

My mind instantly went back to the day when Dagur and the Berserkers invaded.

My stomach nearly emptied itself of its contents once I figured out why that arrow was so unusual.

That arrow was covered with explosive putty.

"Dad! Wait!" But my warning fell upon unhearing ears.

With the shield in his grasp he lunged and jumped over Toothless's back, landed in front of him, made a solid stance and held the shield firmly in front of him. Dagur's grip on the arrow loosened and the arrow was sent sailing through the air.

It seemed that the arrow made contact with the shield the same instant that it was released. The second that the arrow touched dad's shield, there was a blinding flash of light and a loud _crack. _The flash disappeared the moment it came and was replaced with a large plume of thick black smoke. Chunks of burning wood flew in every direction after the shield exploded. My dad was blown backwards by the force of the blast and collided head on with Toothless. The two large figures flew backwards a few feet, then rolled violently on the ground, coming to an alarming halt.

My jaw dropped and I took a few steps forward.

Toothless' body was covered with cuts and large gashes under his thick scales. He had his eyes closed and was hissing in pain. His body was also riddled with scorch and burn marks from the heat of the blast. Dad's sight wasn't any less pretty. He was laying on his back on Toothless, arms sprawled out to his sides as he breathed unconsciously on the ground. Burn marks too littered his body as well as multiple cuts and gashes with blood seeping out of almost all of them.

My chest deeply heaved up and down as I took in the sight before me. I constantly shook my head, trying to erase this image from my brain, but to no avail. No doubt that this picture was forever etched in stone inside my head.

I turned and faced Dagur, a feeling of anger and uncontrollable rage welled up inside of my entire being. My facial expression must have reflected how I was feeling because Dagur's despicable smirk was replaced with confusion and a very small hint of fear. Black spots danced in my vision and I almost screamed in anger at the top of my lungs.

Instead, I ran.

I ran as fast as I could in Dagur's direction, apparently I caught him off guard because he took a few fumbling steps backwards. "Hiccup! Wait!" Jack's pleas seemed to go in one ear and out the other because I just kept running. Dagur turned around and ran inside the house. I reached the hole, snatched up one of Dagur's throwing knives (which was still sticking out of their hut) and entered the home.

From the corner of my eye, however, I saw Jack running after me, pointing to Astrid and Heather, shouting "You two stay with them!" He ordered, pointing to the smoking bodies of my dad and Toothless. The girls nodded and ran for them.

Dagur was running through the house like a wild man. He jumped over the sofa, then over the small table, but once he landed, he lost his balance and began to stumble forward. Seeing this, I quickly hopped over the sofa, then over the table, landed on the other side, caught up with him and rammed full force into his body. We flew forward and out the other hole. We were spilled out into Mulch's backyard and rolled on the soft grass.

I managed to take in my surroundings as Dagur and I finally rolled to a stop. The knife still clutched in my hand as I lay a few feet away from Dagur.

Mulch and Bucket's backyard served as a sheep farm too. The yard was fenced off with wooden fences in a nice and wide radius, wide enough to let their sheep run freely. In the middle of the field, it appeared that these two have been preparing for some hay apocalypse because there was a large pyramid of hay bales that extended upward at least fifteen feet in the air! _Gods, what are these two doing with so much hay? _And beyond the fence was a large cylindrical stone settlement, at least rising thirty feet in the air, with a catapult resting on top. A spiraling wooden staircase leading to the top. The entire structure was sitting proudly on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the massive ocean.

Dagur quickly rose to his feet and stared me down viciously. I pushed off of the ground and rose to my feet as well, clutching the knife in my left hand and straightening myself into a solid fighting stance. We both glared through squinted eyelids at each other, chests rising and falling slowly and heavily as our lungs were desperately trying to refill themselves with much needed air. He snorted and shook his head as he lightly chuckled, raising his fists up defensively. "You know how much of a pain in the ass you are?" I let out a little chuckle under my breath.

"Yeah. I think I'm getting an idea."

I let out a massive yell and lunged forward, aiming the knife at Dagur's chest. He reached forward, grabbed my wrist, raised it up in the air and the blade missed its target. Still holding onto my wrist, Dagur stepped forward and behind my front foot, raised his leg, and brought it backwards, sweeping my leg out from under me and sending me falling ungracefully to the grass.

My back hit the ground hard and more air was pushed from my lungs. Dagur, now standing over me, raised his fist and brought it down hard onto my stomach. I coughed violently and grasped my stomach. Dagur raised his fist again, but before he could pummel me again, I launched my head forward and hit Dagur's face with alarming force. He howled, stepped back and grasped his nose with both hands, blood already starting to spill from between his fingers.

I leapt to my feet and charged for Dagur again.

I lunged forward and swung the knife at his head. Dagur's eyes widened and he instinctively ducked out of the way, my blade hitting nothing but air. He stood back up and I stabbed the knife forward, but he backed out of the way in time to avoid the blade. Then he grabbed my wrist again, spun backwards, pulled forward, and I was launched over his shoulder and landed on my back in front of him, the grip on the knife unhindered by the sudden flight.

Dagur unsheathed his knife once again and aimed it directly between my eyebrows. The skin beneath his nose stained red from the massive blood flow from his nose. "This should do it!" He chuckled loudly. He raised the knife high and. . .

"Hey!"

Dagur's face switched from a wicked grin to a confused scowl. Before he could even think, Jack hurled his body at Dagur, sending him flying off of me, rolling to the ground along with Jack. I curled to a tight ball as my lungs refilled with precious oxygen after it had been depleted from my body so many times tonight.

I could hear the two struggling against each other, but I could not possibly bring myself to actually pay attention as to what was going on. My lungs felt as if a hairy rope was tightening itself with massive strength, not allowing anymore air in. Big black blotches danced within my field of vision as I tried to regain focus.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, air finally was allowed access into my system and I stood back up, wobbling as I did. Once I finally got to my feet, my body struggling to support my weight, I watched as the brutal sight unfurled before my eyes.

Jack and Dagur were at it again, this time, there were fighting for each other's blood. For every swing of their fist, every swing of their foot, every blow they landed on each other, all I could hear was _crack_ after _crack_ after deafening _crack_. The two of them have only been fighting for a short time, but blood was dripping from their mouths and at least one of their eyes was almost swollen shut. Faces, arms and legs bruised and tattered so bad that I could feel the pain that the two of them were going through.

Finally, Dagur stepped forward and punched Jack directly in the stomach. Jack winced and hissed in pain as he reeled forward, but Dagur wasn't done. Dagur grabbed the sides of Jacks head, brought his backwards, and flung himself forward, smashing his forehead against Jack's.

Jack's head snapped backwards and his hands flailed helplessly through the air as he fell backwards onto the grass. "No!"

Dagur, whose face was now so riddled with rage and fury that he was nearly unrecognizable, turned to me, reached forward, grabbed my shoulders and through me to the ground. Dagur then jumped at me and landed right on top of me. I brought the knife up to try to stab him as he lunged at me, but instead, he turned the tip to my face and pushed downward, me holding his arms to prevent the blade from touching my face, my own arms burning like a blow torch as I did. We laid there, scuffling over control of the blade, just as he and Astrid had a few moments ago.

He was huffing and wheezing through clenched teeth, licking his lips sickeningly as he attempted to stab my face. He began to chuckle maniacally. "Oh, hohoho, the things I am going to do to your friends." My eyes widened in utter disgust and fear. "First, I'm going to slice open those annoying twins' throats and watch as the life is drained from their bodies. Then I'm going to gouge out the big kids' eyes with my fingernails, just so he can't lay his eyes on another dragon. And as for the girls…" He trailed off in mid thought. "Well, let's just say that I'm going to show them why they call me Dagur the Deranged."

He began laughing like a mad man. My heart sinking rapidly.

_If he lays one finger on Astrid, I swear to Thor that he will…_

His laughter suddenly stopped as something else caught his attention. Whatever it is, it must be pretty cool because his eyes widened and his mouth hung agape.

Confused, I craned my head around to see what was so important.

Then my heart sank even further.

On top of the massive hay bale pyramid, and I mean all the way on top, resting on the first hay bale, was a familiar golden object with reflective bright lights swimming at its core.

_The Egg_.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I even blinked and shook my head multiple times to make sure that I was seeing straight. But when I opened them back up, the egg was still there.

_How is that possible?! I saw it fall straight into the forest! There's no possible way it could have-_

My thought was cut short when Dagur pushed off of my body and rocketed for the base of the pyramid, his eyes locked on the egg.

I rolled onto my stomach, sheathed the knife where I usually keep mine, and held my hand out in Dagur's direction. "Dagur! No! It's not what you think it is!" "You're lying! The rock is mine! I found it!" I grunted and shot upward to my feet. Then I heard something squirming and moaning behind me. I looked back and saw Jack rise slowly and steadily to his feet, holding his head in his hand where Dagur had bashed his skull earlier.

He winced when he looked at me. "Look!" I pointed to the top of the pyramid. He followed where my finger was locked on and he immediately let go of his head and his eyes widened. Then he looked down and realized that Dagur was already at the base of the pyramid and beginning his ascent.

We both rocketed to the hay pile at the same time. The second I was within distance I jumped forward and landed on one of the hay bales. Looking up I saw Dagur was already half way to the top. I reached forward, grabbed another bale and pulled myself up. With Jack right behind me, I was quickly closing in on Dagur's foot. I reached up and wrapped my hand around his ankle. He let out an annoyed snarl and kicked his foot downward, trying to loosen my grip on his foot. Instead, I used his momentum against him and pulled down just as he kicked.

His grip was lost and he fell a few rows down and was now at my side. I reached out and grabbed his face and tried to push him down to Jack's level, but instead he elbowed me in the shoulder and I teetered backwards, losing my balance and plummeting down five rows. By the time I caught myself, Dagur was already climbing again with Jack hot on his tail. I cursed under my breath and began climbing again.

Jack reached up and tried to grab his foot, but he missed and Dagur continued climbing. By the time Jack was climbing after him again, Dagur was only a few rows from the top. He reached up, scooped the egg in his hands, let out a triumphant cry.

As I continued my climb, Dagur, now in possession of Clearstar's egg, leapt over the top hay bale and began running down the rows of hay. "No!" Jack cried out. He looked down at me. "Come on! We can't let him get away!" I nodded and began climbing once again. Jack reached the top first, leapt over the top bale and began his descent down. I finally reached the top, but I had to grab onto the hay bale to steady myself and catch my breath. I looked down and swore again as I saw Dagur reached the bottom and began making a mad dash over to the end of the fence, in the same direction of the catapult. Jack was half way down already.

I took in a few quick breaths and leapt over.

To cover lost ground, I began skipping every few rows of hay, quickly coming up to the side of Jack. I allowed myself to create a rhythm as I made my way down the tower of hay, careful as to not break that rhythm, as the result would mean majorly injuring myself and possibly letting Dagur get away.

I sighed as I stepped foot back on the smooth grass and Jack jumped down next to me. I looked over to him. "Let's go!" Not needing to be told twice, we both ran as fast as we could as Dagur nimbly jumped over the fence and made his way to the spiraling staircase up to the catapult.

_Meanwhile_,

"Are they going to be ok?" Heather stood worriedly to the side as Astrid was inspecting the Chief's and Toothless' bodies. She let out a relieved sigh. "Some cuts and bruises here and there, maybe some cracked bones, but nothing that these two can't handle."

Heather finally exhaled once she heard the news. "I've seen these two go through worse than this. Believe me, they'll be just fine." Heather smiled and nodded approvingly. Both of their smiles faded as they heard the multiple screams and yells coming from the back of Mulch's house. Heather's heart dropped once she realized who those screams belonged to.

She looked back over at Astrid. "Stay with them! I'll be back!" Before Astrid could protest, Heather already started for the hole in the wall. She climbed in, ran through the living room and to the other side of the room where the other hole waited.

She reached the 'exit' and took in a few deep breaths. Her eyes squinted as she tried to see what was in front of her.

In the middle of the yard was a very large pyramid that consisted only of hay bales. But then she looked to the side of it and noticed a large tower-like structure resting on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the ocean. She barely made out three tiny figures that were climbing up the spiraling staircase around it and gasped when she noticed the object that the lead one was holding.

Without hesitation, she ran.

_At the same time,_

I ran as fast and steadily as I possibly could while on the spiraling walkway leading to the top of the structure. My chest heaving and my prosthetic foot clanking against the wood below me as Jack and I ascended up to the top of the structure, chasing Dagur, who is now out of view, no doubt at the top by now. I'm not sure what exactly he's up to. By climbing all the way up here, he's practically cornered himself. What is he planning?

We finally reached the last turn and made it to the top. We stepped onto the concrete ceiling of the structure where the catapult was resting right in the center on top of another platform that rose about three feet from the ground with multiple wooden sticks coming out of the side for Vikings to grip and turn the platform to aim the catapult at more than one target.

Jack and I stepped into a fighting stance. . . and were surprised to find no one there.

Our arms fell lightly to the sides and our eyebrows knitted in confusion. He ran all the way up here. We saw him! He couldn't have jumped. No one could survive a fall from this height. Jack and I exchanged glances and he signaled for me to walk to one side of the platform while he took the other. I nodded and began tiptoeing over to one side with him on the other, avoiding the wooden pegs jutting out towards us as we did.

We weren't half way around the circle when we heard a loud war cry. I jumped. From behind a wooden beam from the base of the catapult came Dagur, with the egg raised over his head and charging straight for Jack. Jack turned and raised his hands as Dagur prepared to slam the egg on Jack's head. Jack caught the egg in time and the two were now struggling against each other's strength. They pushed back and forth, both trying to loosen the other's grip on the egg. Jack raised his foot and jammed it directly into Dagur's stomach. Dagur let out a pained gasp and grasped his stomach with both hands.

Jack looked over to me in a panicked frenzy and tossed the egg over to me. I gulped as I saw the egg hurtling in my direction. I made a cradle with my arms and the egg landed softly in my arms and I let out a breath I was holding since it was thrown over to me. Dagur, now recovered from the kick growled once he saw that I was now in possession of his prize.

He reached down and grabbed the wooden peg and gave it a mighty push backwards. I realized his plan a second too late.

The platform holding the catapult began to rotate and the wood handles were moving along with it. The handle behind me struck me behind my knees, causing them to buckle and I fell to the ground, losing my grip on the egg in the process. It rolled away from my hands and straight to the edge of the platform we were standing on. It surely would have gone over if Jack hadn't jumped in front of it and scooped it into his arms.

While I watched Jack recover the egg, I didn't even notice Dagur running across the three-foot platform and landed right at my feet. He unsheathed his knife, raised it high and brought it downward. Without thinking, I grabbed the handle above my head and pushed it into the path of Dagur's knife. The knife dug itself into the wood with a loud _thunk. _He struggled to pull it out, but it was too deep into the wood. Taking this as the distraction I needed, I bolted to my feet and ran backwards. Jack ran forward however and straight for Dagur.

Jack reeled his fist back and aimed it at Dagur's face. Dagur dodged the punch and made another grab for the egg. He wrapped his hands tightly around it and pulled back. Jack and Dagur were once again in a game of tug-of-war, pulling and pushing against one another, both trying to break each other's grip on the egg.

With one final heave backwards, Dagur finally yanked the egg out of Jacks hands and he was sent reeling backwards. I caught him and helped steady himself on his feet. Jack tried to charge back in his direction, but I grabbed his wrist and gave him a stern look in his eyes. I put one hand up and stepped in front of him.

Dagur was now reveling in his victory, holding and hugging the egg closely to his body. Once he saw me step forward, he stopped and stared me down. I sighed and started, "Dagur, please listen. That isn't what you think it is." He snorted and a smug look came across his face. "It's not a rock. It's an egg. You know Jack's dragon? It belongs to her! We've got to get it back to her before she starts tearing up the island looking for it!"

He let out a little chuckle. "And I'm supposed to care that your island gets destroyed, why now?" I blinked. I guess I didn't think about that part when I said that. "He's got a point," Jack added. "Yes, thank you. Look, the point is that if you keep that, it's going to backfire, drastically. Give it to us, we'll bring it to-""No! You're lying! You want the stone for yourself! Well forget it!" As he was going on about how right he is about the egg actually being a rock, a quick shimmer caught my attention.

I looked behind Dagur's feet and saw a head with raven black hair and smooth green eyes pop out from behind the platform. It was Heather. Dagur, still going on and on about how he found it and it belongs to him, didn't even notice as Heather silently hefted herself onto the platform and slowly tiptoe to Dagur's back. Once she was within distance, she lunged forward and pushed Dagur forward. He let out a startled scream as his hands let go of the egg and it sailed over to Jack and I. I stepped forward and caught the egg once more in my arms.

I turned back to Jack and smiled, but our victory was shortly lived as Dagur reached behind him, grabbed Heather's arms and pulled her to him with a mighty jerk. He pulled her close to his body, wrapped his arms around her neck, reached for his knife that was still sticking out of the handle and successfully pulled it from its temporary resting place. He touched the tip of the blade softly against her cheek as she let out a muffled squeal of complete fear.

Jack stepped in front of me with his hand out in front of him, a pleading expression clearly present in his eyes. "Well," Dagur started, "this is certainly a game changer, isn't it?" Jack took one more cautious step forward, eyes swimming with fear. "P-please. Don't hurt her." Dagur raised an eyebrow and darted his eyes at Heather's face, then back to Jack, who almost was on the verge of tears. Dagur's face immediately lit up.

"Aha, you two _are _sweethearts. Can't say that I didn't see it coming." He paused. "And I've gotta say, you've got a good eye, haven't you?" Dagur turned his head and pressed his nose against her hair, inhaling deeply. Heather's eyes widened even further and let out another muffled scream from under Dagur's hand. Dagur turned to face us again. "Now, I think you and I both know how this is going to go down." Jack glared daggers at Dagur (I've wanted to make that joke all night). "You give me my stone, and I give you back the girl. I leave the island peacefully and we all live happily ever after."

Jack and I exchanged quick worried glances. He and I both knew that if we give him the egg, Heather's as good as dead. By the looks of it, there was no way out of this one.

"So," Dagur continued, "What's it going to be?"

_Crack _

All of our eyebrows furled up in confusion as another _crack_ was heard.

Another cracking noise, this time, I felt a slight vibration in my chest. I looked down and noticed a web of cracks beginning to form on the surface of the egg.

_Oh no. _

More and more cracks began forming and each released another loud cracking noise. Everyone's eyes flowed over to the egg as a tail burst through the shell. My eyes widened. Another crack and this time a foot came jutting out from the top. I yelped in surprise and dropped the egg.

It crashed to the concrete floor and the egg burst completely open.

I blinked a few times as I took in what was happening right in front of me.

A tiny, red dragon with the same build and physique of its mother was lying on the ground, squirming and hissing and clumsily rolling to its feet. Here, right in front of me, was a baby Changewing.

Dagur's eyes fluttered in confusion. "But. . . But I thought," the baby dragon turned and innocently stared at him. His confused expression was then replaced with anger. "No! No! This isn't right! You are supposed to be my lucky rock!" The baby dragon didn't exactly think being shouted at by a strange looking creature sounded fun.

The little Changewing hissed and his tiny cheeks began to puff out. The next second, a clean stream of solid, green acid flew from the dragon's mouth and hit Dagur squarely in the face.

Dagur closed his eyes, let go of Heather and grabbed his face, and began screaming bloody murder.

Heather immediately ran over to Jack and he enveloped her safely in his arms. Our attention was brought back to Dagur, who was crying and wailing at the top of his lungs in pain. Steam rising from his face as the acid melted his face away. Chunks of skin and flesh and streams of blood flowing off of his face and landing sickeningly on the ground. The horrible odor of rotting and burning flesh wafted into all of our noses.

The baby Changwing, still not satisfied with the damage it had inflicted upon Dagur, pounced forward, latching itself tightly onto his body. Dagur screamed as he felt the sharp claws digging deep into his body. He reached down to grab the dragon, but it crawled away and its image flickered. In an instant, the dragon disappeared. Dagur thrashed and flailed his arms wildly through the air, trying to grab an enemy he couldn't see. For one, he couldn't see it because it was invisible, and also because the acid started to eat away at his eye too.

Dagur's hands finally grasped onto something and he pulled angrily. He gave one last tug and the dragon's body became visible once again, hanging in Dagur's hands. He then threw the baby dragon violently against the wooden frame of the catapult. The Changewing hit the wood and fell with a hard thud on the ground. Jack, Heather and I let out a collective gasp as it hit the ground.

Then my eyes darted back to Dagur, who was unlooping his bow from his shoulder and drew an arrow and knocked it into position. He squinted his good eye and aimed straight at the baby.

"You are so dead you little mother fu-. " Before he could finish his swear, I threw myself against his bow and pushed it drastically to the left. He let the arrow go and it flew away, disappearing into the night.

It was when Dagur looked at me when I finally got a good look on what happened to his face.

On his right side, the acid ate at the skin and muscle and flesh until there was nothing there but bits of white and pieces of skin flapping and hanging uselessly against his face. And as if to add more to the disgusting meter, puss began forming in the wound and dripping all over the stone floor.

I stepped back in fright and grabbed the end of his bow. The bow slipped from his hands, but he caught the other end, and we were now caught up in our own little game of tug-of-war. I pushed and pulled against his weight, trying to relieve him of his last weapon, but his grip was just as strong.

He finally spoke. "You're all dead for doing this to me! You hear? DEAD! D-E-D! DEAD!"

An idea quickly formed in my head. I reached down into my vest and unsheathed the throwing knife from before. Without thinking, I raised the blade high and brought it down onto the string. The blade sliced through the string with ease and the bow instantly became straight. The string flailed upwards and smacked Dagur directly in his left eye. He let out another scream and let go of the bow.

I stepped back to regain my balance, the broken bow now in my possession. Dagur reeled from side to side, tightly covering his left eye with both hands. I could barely make out the ugly red mark that it had left on his face.

Not waiting to give him any more chances, I stepped forward, wound the bow back, and swung it like a bat directly into Dagur's ribs.

The force sent him stumbling back a few paces. A few paces too many.

His foot reached the edge of the platform we were all on and lost his footing. He flailed his arms in the air, attempting to grab some object to prevent his fall, but there was nothing there. He took one last step backwards and fell.

His body crashed against the spiraling walkway, rolled to the side, and he disappeared into the blackness. After a few agonizing seconds, we heard the _splash _and just like that, it was over.

I took in a few deep breaths, adrenaline pulsing through my every vein. I dropped the bow and allowed it to clatter against the stone.

I turned to Heather, still being held protectively in Jack's arms. Both pairs of eyes glued to me. After a few silence filled seconds, Jack finally spoke up. "Hiccup. . . Did, did you just," "Yeah," I cut him off. "I, I did." Then the realization of what had unfolded finally smacked me in my face. "Oh Gods. I. . . I did, what did I do? I, I killed him! How? How am I going to," "its ok, Hiccup," Heather spoke up. "You did what you had to do." That offered me no comfort at all.

"But, but he's dead! I killed him!" They both walked up beside me. "Hiccup, he was going to kill Heather if you hadn't first. You saved her." Jack rested his hand on my shoulder. My eyes widened as we heard a series of hissing and grumbling noises behind us.

We turned and saw the baby Changewing rise back to its feet and shake its tiny head. "No," I corrected Jack. "He did."

The Changewing walked over to my feet and nuzzled his nose against my leg. I reached down and patted his head. "I still can't believe it though. I actually killed him. . . ""Hey, Hic," Jack started encouragingly, "if anything, you should be happy! You took down an enemy of the island all on your own! This is one for the history books, man! The day Hiccup the Fierce took down Dagur the Deranged."

I couldn't help but chuckle at his enthusiasm. "No," I corrected him, "not all on my own." I looked both him and Heather in the eye with a smile finally creeping onto my face.

"That's the spirit! Now," Heather bent down and scooped the baby dragon into her arms.

"I think it's time for a family reunion."


	12. Explanations, Reunions and Goodbyes

I had a hard time falling to sleep that night. So many things were still lingering in the back of my mind:

The smoking and hurt bodies of my dad and Toothless lying motionless on the ground, Dagur fighting with Jack and Astrid and taking Heather hostage, the Changewing egg lying on a massive hay bale pyramid, and , of course, Dagur's mutilated and melted face. Just the thought of it threatened to give me nausea and also left a bad taste in my mouth. Then. . . I killed him.

I hit him with the bow and he went tumbling down off of the catapult and down the cliff. There is no way I could forgive myself for doing that. Jack and Heather told me that I did what I had to do and that anyone else in my position would have done the same thing. While I agree, that thought still doesn't take it all away. The fact is that it was me and I did it. I took his life away.

Granted if I hadn't done something to stop him, he would have gone on a rampage that could have injured or even killed innocent people, so, I guess that cancels what I did, right?

Right?

Well, at the moment, I am in no mood to think of this pressing matter. Gothi and Gobber came to where my dad and Toothless were and helped move them to Gothi's hut and heal them. They told me to check back up with them in the morning. Not in the mood to argue any further, I agreed and went back to my house, crawled up the steps, and plopped myself down onto my bed.

After what felt like a lifetime, I finally succumbed to the exhaustion and fell asleep.

By the time I had closed my eyes and became dead to the world, it was already morning. The sun shone through the skylight over my bed and onto my face, forcing my reluctant eyes open. I groaned and pushed myself up off my bed, my arms shaking and burning after the events of last night. It felt as though the pain drained away right as I remembered what it was I had to do right now.

Ignoring my body's plea for more sleep I jumped out of bed and rocketed down the steps (I didn't even bother changing out of my clothes last night), heading straight for Gothi's home which, unfortunate for me at the time, was at the top of a large hill and rested on the edge of a cliff that required many flights of steps to reach, much like Mildew's old home.

The fresh morning air and sunlight seemed to chase away any sleepiness I had left because it didn't take long for me to run straight through town and at the base of the steps leading to her precariously positioned home. After many, many, many steps I breathlessly reached her front door and knocked twice.

Resting my hands on my knees and wheezing uncontrollably, I waited for the village elder to answer. I finally heard footsteps on the other side and the door swung open. "Ah. There ye are, Hiccup," Gobber greeted warmly. My eyebrows knitted confusedly and I stood straight back up. "Gobber? What are you doing here?" The large blacksmith scratched under his chin and then yawned, stretching his massively large arms in both directions. "Ah stayed here with Gothi and helped her take care of Stoick and Toothless. We've been up all night patchin' the two of them up. It was nae pretty, but they'll be jist fine." I sighed gratefully.

"Can I see them?" Gobber smiled and stepped to the side, gesturing me to come in. I walked in and immediately found the shriveled village elder kneeling beside Toothless, who was lying right on the floor covered in bandages and stitches, as she spread some sort of healing salve on his wounds. On the other side of the room I found my dad covered in a blanket and sleeping soundly in a particularly large bed. His arms resting on his body over the covers showed bandages and more stitches wrapped around his bulky biceps. A special kind of gauze was wrapped multiple times around his left shoulder over the spot where Dagur had shot him with an arrow. His eyes were peacefully closed and his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

Gobber closed the door and Gothi turned her attention to me. She smiled warmly and then tapped her walking stick twice on the wood floor and signaled me to come to her side. Her tapping also caught the attention of Toothless, who looked up and laid his eyes on me. He tried to stand up but he cringed in obvious pain and fell back to the floor. Gothi sighed and shook her head at the dragon.

"No. No, no Toothless. Just, just stay down and rest." I walked up to him and knelt down so I was perfectly eyelevel with him. I looked at me and whined with his eyes becoming large and black, the way he does when he wants to go riding. I started scratching under his chin and rubbed his ears in the way I knew he liked it and he began to purr and groan with delight. "You did so well last night, Toothless. I'm proud of you, Bud." I stopped scratching and stood back up. "Now just rest up and you'll be back up and flying in no time." After a few moments of silence, a very soft voice began calling me.

"H-Hiccup?"

My eyes widened and I craned my head in the direction the call came from.

Dad tried to sit up in his bed, but he winced in pain and grabbed his side and fell back onto the pillow. Inside I wanted to cry out to him and tell him to stay in bed, but instead, I calmly walked over to him and stood at his side, hovering over his head with Gothi standing to my right and Gobber standing at the foot of the bed.

"Sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to wake you." He shook his head. "You didn't wake me, Hiccup. I wanted to see you." He reached one massive hand up and cupped it under my chin and began rubbing the sides of my face slowly as if he was blind and wanted to see me with his hands. He winced in pain again and lowered his hand. Gothi patted his arm gently and shook her head. "He's going to be okay, right?" "Ye hae nae a thing tae worry aboot. We've patched them up good as new," Gobber spoke up. "Give 'em a few days and they'll be up and at 'em as if their lives depended on it." My dad gave a dry chuckle at his friends' enthusiasm.

"Gobber's right, son. I'll be just fine. I know I'm in good hands." He blinked and looked over at Toothless, who was watching us with wide eyes and ears flattened. "We're in good hands," he corrected.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Dad, I'm, I'm sorry." He looked back up to me confusedly. "For what, Son?" I looked at him, wondering how he didn't hold my mistake against me. "Dad, keeping Dagur in custody was my job. And I failed." Tears of disappointment began forming and clouded my vision.

"He got out and nearly destroyed the island! Plus, you and Toothless got hurt in the crossfire! How can you just-""Shhh." Dad raised his hand and shushed me. "Hiccup, sometimes things happen that you cannot control. And it is how you handle the situation that defines you as a chief. How it defines you as a person." The tears were successfully falling down my cheeks as he whispered these words to me.

"How it defines you as my son." A sob worked its way up my throat and broke the surface. I broke down in tears and leaned down to hug my dad. He returned it warmly. "You handled the situation with confidence and carried it out to the end, just like any good chief should do. You have no idea how proud of you I am, son." I clung to his shoulders tightly and buried my face in his chest. After listening to his mini speech, a thought suddenly popped into my head. I pulled back and stood up, my chest shaking and my eyes red, but the tears gone.

"Wait, how do you know about what I did last night? You were out cold. How did-""Astrid came up last night and told us the whole story, Hiccup," Gobber filled in. "Oh," I started, "so you know about," "Dagur? Yes, we do," Dad finished.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Hiccup, I know that was not what you had intended. But you did-""What I had to. I know. But then why do I feel so," I trailed off. "Hiccup, no aen said that it would be easy. Ye did the right thing lad, an' there's nae a thing to feel bad about. If ye ask me, someaen shoulda shoved him off a cliff years ago." I couldn't help but chuckle at this comment.

"And Hiccup," my dad said, "I'm glad that you're here and alright, but I don't think I'm the one you should be talking to right now." I sighed. "You're right. I'm on my way down there right now. I'll check back up on you two later, kay?" The chief smiled and nodded and Toothless snorted in agreement.

As I made my way to Gothi's door, it had already swung open, revealing Astrid's panting body in the doorframe. "Hiccup! Thank Odin you're here!"

I reached forward and grabbed her arms, pulling her full attention to me. "Astrid, what's wrong?" She gulped and took a deep breath. "It's Jack. He's still there. And he's not doing well."

I nodded in understanding. "Alright. Let's go talk to him."

_Last night,_

As Jack, Heather, the baby and I walked through the hole in Mulch's house, I could see Astrid still tending to Dad and Toothless' wounds. She isn't exactly a nurse, even if she was she doesn't have any supplies or medicine to help them, so she was just keeping an eye on the two of them, making sure that nothing bad happened to them again.

She must have heard us walking behind her because she turned around to face us before we even said anything. She let out a loud sigh of relief. "Oh thank Thor. You're alright. Where's," before she could finish her question her eyes darted to what Heather was holding and her jaw dropped.

In her arms was what looked like the exact miniature copy of Clearstar: elongated snout with front way facing, yellow eyes, plump and round middle and long stringy tail and two vine-like tassels hanging from both sides of his head. The baby Changewing was being safely held in Heathers arms and pressed against her chest.

Astrid pointed a shaky finger at the baby. "Is, is that?"

"Yes," Jack finished. "It's Clearstar's baby." As if on cue, said baby let out a tiny snort and shook his head. I couldn't help but let out a little chuckle and smile, then I saw Toothless and my Dad's motionless bodies lying side by side and my breath quickly got caught in my throat. Astrid must have paid attention because she quickly said, "Don't worry Hiccup. I sent the others to get Gobber and Gothi. They'll be here soon and take care of them." I nodded. "Thanks Astrid."

She nodded in return, then her eyebrows knitted and she looked at us quizzically. "Where's Dagur?" My face fell and I sighed. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked back to see that it belonged to Jack. "He's gone." Astrid lightly gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. The next moment, she sighed and lowered her hands to her sides. She looked at my face and immediately understood what it was I had to do. I'm sure she could also tell that I wasn't in any mood to talk about the matter so she let it lie, much to my appreciation. "Well, at least he's out of the way."

"Yeah," I said under my breath, trying to reassure myself.

"Well," Heather started, "how about we introduce Clearstar to her new baby." Jack looked at her and nodded. He brought his hands to his lips to whistle for his dragon, but before he could we all heard a distant flapping noise. All of our eyes squinted in confusion and our heads turned in the direction the noise was coming from.

Clearstar flew into view and landed softly on the ground about ten feet away. The baby let out a tiny squeal, leapt from Heathers arms and waddled clumsily over to his mother. Clearstar lowered her head and purred as the baby rubbed his snout against hers. The two of them closed their eyes and the baby began rubbing his body against her chin, much like what a Terrible Terror does when it wants attention. I could hear the two of them purring and cooing as they continued their reunion. Astrid and Heather smiled warmly as Jack came up to me and smiled. I smiled back.

"This is so adorable!" Heather put in. "They're finally back together!" She closed her hands together and raised them to her lips as her eyes began to water at the touching sight right before us. Jack cleared his throat, "Well, it's been a long night, hasn't it? I think I should bring the two of them back to my place and we should all get a good night's rest." He looked to Heather and she nodded in agreement. Then the two of them shared a quick hug. "You were so brave tonight, Jack," Heather said. "So were you." They pulled away from each other and Jack cleared his throat again. "Come on, Clearstar, let's go home. . . Clearstar?"

As Jack turned his back and began walking back to his house, he noticed that Clearstar or the baby weren't following, she was still rubbing her face against his tiny body, paying no attention to any of us.

_Oh no._

Jack knitted his eyebrows in confusion and walked slowly to their position. "Clearstar? Didn't you hear me? Come on, let's go back home so we can," but before he could finish, Clearstar gently lifted her baby by the neck with her teeth and flapped her wings and they lifted off, but rather than going in the direction of his home, she was aiming herself behind Mulch and Bucket's home, her eyes set on the horizon. She flapped again and began moving forward, the baby still dangling from her mouth.

"Clearstar! Wait!" Jack ran after them for a few feet, then stopped. He turned and looked at me. "Hiccup! Where are they going?" He asked in a panicked daze. I sighed. "Jack," I started gently, "I, I wanted to tell you. Clearstar is a mother whose egg was stolen from her nest. She has a home." Jack had tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "No," he whispered. "She has a home, Jack. And she has the tools and materials she needs to take care of her baby." He shook his head disbelievingly. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, but you," he didn't allow me to finish. His head turned to the hole in the wall and he quickly ran for it.

"Jack, wait!" Heather quickly ran behind him. She stopped in her tracks and looked over at Astrid and I. "Come on!" she gestured for us to follow her. Astrid and I quickly shared a glance, then we ran for the hole too.

The three of us burst through the other side and ran into the open field of Mulch's backyard in time to see that Jack has already made it half way across and waving his arms frantically in the air. We looked up and saw Clearstar and her baby hadn't fully flown past the cliff yet and were still right above our heads.

"Clearstar! Wait!" After much calling and yelling and waving his arms in the air, he caught her attention. She swooped downward and landed on the field right in front of Jack. She lowered her head and dropped her baby and it quickly crawled under her and right to her side. Jack, now breathing and inhaling deeply, wrapped his arms around her snout and began sobbing. Heather, Astrid and I stopped and stood about fifteen feet away from the two of them.

Clearstar's eyelids began to droop sadly as she watched her owner break down right in front of her. "Why Clearstar?" He sobbed. "Why do you h-have to go? Y-Y-You can raise your baby h-here, with me!" He lowered his head and furrowed his head in her scaly snout. He began to plea once again, but we were too far away to fully understand them. All we could see was his back rising and falling sharply as he sobbed, arms wrapped around her mouth as he did.

I sighed sadly and stepped forward, walking toward him slowly.

"Jack?" He turned his reddened eyes to me, still tightly clutching the Changewing. He let go and turned to face me fully. He then walked back over to me. "Hiccup, t-tell her that she can l-live here. With me!" His shoulders were shaking violently as he continued to breathe in and out sharply and quickly. I sighed again. "Jack, I, I can't." "What do you mean you can't? You're the best dragon whisperer there is! Let h-her know that she c-can still live w-with me and," "Jack," I cut him off.

I closed my eyes and let a breath out through my nose. I opened them back up and looked him right in the eye. "Jack, I can't stand between a mother and her baby, and neither can you." He didn't seem to like what I was saying because he was shaking his head and mouthing the word "no" repeatedly. "She has a nest, she has a home." "Right! With me!" "Jack, you wants what's best for her, don't you?" He squinted his eyes and looked at me. "Of course I do!" "And you want what's best for the baby, right?" He let out what sounded like some sort of growling noise.

"Hiccup! What are you," "Do you, or don't you?!" He began to stumble over his words now. "Yes! Yes, absolutely! Clearstar means so much to me! She was my first dragon! She- She _is_ my first dragon! Now she has a baby, I can. . . Can," He faltered and finally stopped arguing. He turned his head and saw the baby still rubbing against his mother and purring. She was watching him closely and let out multiple cooing sounds.

Jack continued to breathe in deeply and sadly, then he looked down and closed his eyes. I walked up and placed my hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Jack, they have a home. She can raise him to become a strong, brave dragon. If you truly want what's best for her, for the both of them, you'd respect that."

He let out a deep, long, calming breath, raised his head and looked over his shoulder at me. He closed his eyes and nodded sadly. "You're right."

He looked forward at the new mother and her baby and walked up to the two of them. The baby, seeing him coming, darted away from his mother and ran over to Jack's feet. Jack stopped dead in his tracks as the baby rubbed his body around Jack's ankles. Jack scooped the dragon in his arms, held him out in front of him so he get a good look at him, then pulled the baby into a tight hug.

The baby chirped and looked around confusedly as its body was being pressed against Jack's. When he was done, Jack held the baby out in front of him again. "Take care of your mama, ok?" the baby chirped again happily. Jack, tears now successfully falling down the sides of his face, lowered the baby to the ground and watched him walk back to his mother. Clearstar then walked up to Jack and purred loudly.

Jack threw his arms around her once again, trapping her snout under his vise-like grip. I heard multiple sniffling noises again and realized that these weren't coming Jack. I looked back and saw Heather's hands over her eyes and shoulders shaking. Astrid was at her side and wrapped her arm around her, trying not to allow her own tears from breaking free.

I turned my attention to Jack once again, who was now rubbing his hand up and down on her snout, her eyes drooping down sadly on his shaking body. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for being the greatest dragon anyone could ask for." He let go and stepped backward toward me. "Don't, don't forget about me, ok?" Clearstar closed her eyes, nodded, and let out a snort. "Because I won't forget about you."

Clearstar turned her back to the four of us, lifted her baby again, and unfurled her wings.

"Goodbye."

Clearstar flapped her wings a few times, then with one final push, she was airborne. She flapped her wings and she flew forward, over the cliff and toward the horizon. Soon, both her and her baby disappeared into the night sky.

With one last shaky breath, Jack said "I love you." Then he closed his eyes and lowered his head once again.

I just stood there, watching as Jack shed his tears. Heather walked up past me and stopped behind jack. She looped her arms under Jack's and wrapped them around his chest, pulling him close to her. She rested her head on his shoulder and whispered "I am so sorry." Jack leaned his head against hers and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "She was a great dragon. She'll be just fine." Jack lightly nodded. "I know," he said almost under his breath.

Jack raised his head up, sniffled one last time and turned around to face us. Heather released him and stood in front of him, waiting for him to say something. "I, uh, I'm going to want some time alone, if you guys don't mind." All three of us shook our heads. "Take all the time you need, hun." Heather stepped forward and kissed his cheek lightly. She turned and walked past Astrid and I wordlessly. The two of us looked at Jack, who only nodded and turned his back to us, gazing out over the horizon.

Astrid and I both sighed and turned around. We reached the hole and walked in, heading for the other side. I turned and looked over at Jack one last time. Still facing his back to us, his eyes never broke away from the ocean, looking at the spot where his dragon once was.

_Now_,

Astrid and I walked side by side, quickly approaching Mulch and Bucket's home. It wasn't long before we heard the sounds of sawing and hammering. We rounded the corner and saw Bucket standing on a bench and hammering long pieces of wood over the large gaping hole and Mulch sawing the wood to the correct length to cover the hole. Once we were close enough, Mulch looked up and smiled his usual warm smile.

"Well hey there, ya two." Bucket, hearing his friend speak up, turned his head over to us. "Wha? Ahhh!" He stepped backwards and fell off of his bench, landing flat on his back, dropping the hammer and the piece of wood he was holding. "Careful there, Bucket!" The tall Viking stood back up and quickly grabbed hold of his hammed with his good hand. "Sorry, Mulch!" Mulch rubbed his temples lightly with his left hand. "Oh, that man, I swear. Anyways, what can I do ya fer?" "Is Jack still back there? We came to talk to him."

Mulch's smile faded. "Aye, he's still back there. He's not doin' to well I'm afraid. Your friends came over and told Bucket and I all about what happened with his dragon and the egg. Poor lad." Astrid and I nodded, then she spoke up. "There's one thing I don't understand though." Mulch looked at her quizzically. "And what's that, dearie?" Astrid's mouth turned into a straight line. "Well, Hiccup said that he dropped the egg over the forest, right?" I nodded. "Well, then how did the egg just so happen to show up in your guys' backyard?"

Mulch scratched his thick beard with his hooked hand. "Well, I'm afraid I can't answer that one. I don't remember seeing it on my hay pile a few days ago." His face suddenly lit up. "Which reminds me, I've got to get more hay from or stash in the woods. Those sheep of ours go through that like it's water I tell ya."

My eyebrows knitted. "Wait a minute, did you say you have a stash of hay in the woods?" Mulch looked at me confusedly. "Yes, we do. Not far from here. Just a few miles, why do yeh ask?" Astrid seemed to be getting the same idea because she spoke up before I could ask the next question. "And when was the last time you brought hay back to your house from your secret stash?" Mulch looped his fingers around his hook hand and tried to think. "A few weeks ago, I suppose. Why do you ask?"

The two of us looked at each other. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Astrid asked. "Would you two mind filling me in, here?" Mulch asked in his polite manner.

"Mulch," I started, "do you remember when Dagur and the Berserkers invaded Berk with those floating contraptions a few weeks ago?" He nodded. "Well, Dagur had the egg in the basket with him, and I dropped it over the woods." His eyes widened. "Are you suggesting," "What? That Hiccup dropped the egg onto your stash of hay, which saved it from cracking open, just so you could bring it here and for us to find it the night that Dagur decides to go nuts? Yeah. I'd say that's what we're trying to get at," Astrid filled in.

My eyes widened in astonishment. "Wow. What, what are the odds of that ever happening?" Mulch shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what to tell ya. I don't pay attention to what is inside of the hay when we load it onto our wagon. You just happened to be lucky."

"Yeah. Lucky," I said, still in a state of disbelief. I guess in the end, everything does work out for the better.

I cleared my throat. "Well, can we go talk to Jack since he's still back there?" His smile returned. "Of course you can, but that black haired girl came walking over there just a few minutes you two showed up. You can go meet up with em if you want."

Astrid and I shared a quick look and darted for the partially covered up hole.

_Meanwhile,_

Jack was now sitting with his legs over the edge of the cliff, resting his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on his hands. His eyes were fixed on the horizon, watching the sun rise slowly over the vast ocean. His eyelids were growing heavy and bags began forming underneath his eyes, but he didn't care. He fought the fatigue and kept his gaze on the open sky.

Heather quietly walked up behind him, determined not to break his concentration. Her eyes darted to him, then to the sky, where he was looking. She raised her fist to her lips and cleared her throat. Jack's head perked up quickly and his turned his head back to see Heather standing a few feet behind him.

"Oh, um, I didn't see you there." He rose clumsily and dizzily to his feet, rubbing his eyes with the heal of his hand and wiping his nose, sniffling as he did. "Um, I'm, I'm sorry. You're probably sick of seeing me cry. I'll uh, I'll just head back home." Heather raised her hand. "No. No, it's ok. You can stay here. I uh," her cheeks began to rosy up, "actually came down here to sit with you." She rubbed her arm nervously. "That is, unless, you want to be alone right now."

"No!" He said a little too loudly. "No, it's, it's fine." He turned around and sat back down, dangling his legs over the side of the cliff again. Heather came up on his right and sat down next to him, swinging her legs over the edge as well. The two of them shared a long, quiet moment, just staring out over the ocean and to the morning sky. Heather finally spoke up. "I'm sorry about Clearstar."

He said nothing. Rather, he just let out a breath through his nostrils and lowered his head. "I know how much she meant to you." He still gave no response. Heather bit her lip nervously. "And I want you to know that if there's anything you need, anything at all, you can always come to me. I want you to know that." He turned his head and stared into her emerald green eyes. He attempted to say something, but a sob broke through instead and he finally broke down. Heather leaned forward and caught him as he started to cry almost uncontrollably, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and burying his face in the crook of her neck. She returned his embrace warmly.

She held him tightly and rocked soothingly from side to side, whispering comforting and soothing words into his ear. "It's ok. Just let it all out, that's it." He continued to sob, shoulders sharply rising up and down as he took in many shaky deep breaths. "H-h-how could she j-just leave me?" Hearing him talk like this, so heartbroken and destroyed, made her eyes begin to water. "Jack, listen," she pulled away and positioned him so he was looking her squarely in the eye.

"I know it's hard, and I know that this must be very hard for you, but you have to understand. Clearstar is a mom. And in order to do what's best for her baby, she had to leave." He closed his eyes sadly. "Doesn't it make you feel at least a little better knowing that the baby can grow up big and strong like his mom?" He sniffed and opened his eyes a little. "Yes," he said sheepishly. Heather let out a dry chuckle and wiped a tear from his cheek.

"Clearstar loved you Jack. I know she did. And you know what I know what she wouldn't want?"

Jack looked at her, wanting her to continue. "She wouldn't want you to be like this. She wants you to be strong, and brave, and work your way out of this, just like the Jack I know. . . And love."

Jack took in a quick breath and his eyes widened. "Y-you what?" She giggled at his confusion. "Oh come on! You know it, and I know it. Haven't you noticed that since I moved here, my time has almost always been spent with you?" He couldn't help but smile and chuckle at her little outburst. "And for good reasons too." He smiled wryly. "And what reasons would that be exactly?" "I'm sure you already know the answer to that one, Hotshot." "True, but I'd like to hear it come from you."

She laughed. "Well, let's see. You're . . . Handsome, funny, smart, amazingly athletic," Jack kept nodding and twirling his hand, urging her to continue. "And. . ?" She laughed and stood back up, pushing dirt and grass off her pants. "That's all I've got." Jack laughed and reached his hand up. She grabbed on and pulled him to his feet. The two stood there for a few silent moments, just staring into each other's eyes.

"Feel better?" She asked. Jack looked back over to the horizon and sighed. "A little. I'm gonna miss her though." "Me too. But hey, there are other dragons out there, you'll find another one eventually. Clearstar would want you to be happy." "Yeah, you're right. But no dragon could ever replace her." She shook her head in agreement. "Well, how about we go and find you a brand new one? I'll help you pick it out. Unless you want to wait?"

"You know," Jack intertwined his fingers inside Heather's, "I think I might wait for a while. I want another ride on Starburst." Heather giggled. "Alright, but it'll cost you." He chuckled a little. "Fine. What is it you want?"

She grabbed his neck and pulled him down into another kiss. She cupped her hands around his jaw and pulled away. "I want you, at my side, at all times." He smiled, leaned down and accepted another kiss.

"So."

They pulled away again once they both heard the sound of a familiar feminine voice. They turned towards Mulch's home and found Hiccup and Astrid, standing side by side, smirking with their hands crossed over their chests. "I think he's doing better. What do you think, Hiccup?"

He rubbed his chin with his fingers thoughtfully for a few seconds. "I'm still not sure, Astrid. I'm not fully convinced yet." The two of them shared a snarky laugh. Hiccup then looked directly at Jack. "You doing alright?"

"Oh yeah." Jack grasped Heather's hand again and looked down to her.

"I'm doing just fine."


End file.
